Friday, August 11, 2017

Guest Author Holly J. Gill





I have great pleasure in welcoming my guest author today Holly. J- Gill Holly who is a wife, mum and nana to twins all the way from England. In her spare time she likes to write different genre's erotic and romance novels. Holly has been writing all her life since she can remember, having a wild imagination. When at school she wrote long essays of soft love and got told of by the teacher to make them shorter... like that stopped her writing. Then when Holly was 19 she started writing erotic fiction. Her imagination never lacks ideas, Holly loves all aspects of research to make a good novel. In her spare time she likes being with her family, visiting friends, reading, listening to music, watching movies and travelling the gorgeous British countryside.




 *´¨ðŸ’•) LIVE💕

¸.•´¸.•*´¨)¸.•*¨ðŸ’•)
💕(¸.•´‪ 💕 💕
Title: Italian Playboy
Standalone
Author: Holly J. Gill
Genres: #Romantic #Erotica #BDSM  #adult #language #18+ #HollyJGill #Italianplayboy


Can A Playboy Ever Be Tamed?








💕✶ BLURB ✶💕✶


I’m an arrogant, self-righteous Italian guy who only thinks through one thing… I never see the same woman twice – it’s my rule. I throw the most outrageously wicked and sexy parties for my own satisfaction and relish on women like I do my fine dining. I’m a playboy by day and a playboy by night. They call me the Italian Playboy and I love it! Only, all of that changed one night when a dark haired beauty stepped into one of my sex parties. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I had to have her. But no sooner than my eyes had met her naked body, she was gone. I had to find her. And I wouldn’t stop until I did.


💕 EXCERPT 💕
“Okay so you want grand, extreme and flamboyant.
How about I put some ideas together and send them over?”
“Are you not bringing them to me?”
“No”
“Tut, tut,” he said, wagging his finger at me. “Correction, you will bring them to me. I like the personal touch,” he quirked the corner of his mouth and winked.
He walked away like some goddamn prince.
“I think we should call a meeting ASAP.” I called after him.
“Absolutely, tomorrow, but remember,” he said, stood at the other side of the room, “I’m a busy man. I don’t hang around.”
He ambled back towards me. I stood digesting he
information.
“I can make some plans and see what you think.”
“Perfect, by the way cute ass and that blouse does nothing for your tits.”
“I wasn’t aware I asked your opinion.”
“You didn’t, but I bet when you’re wearing the right clothes you look scorching.” He wagged his brow.
The man clearly loved himself.
“Anyway, I need to be leaving. I have to put ideas together, if you could send me your e-mail address I can send ideas to you.”
“Bring your ideas to me. We have already discussed this it will give me a chance to admire you again, we could have a drink,” he cheekily grinned.
“I am simply working here on a project, not here for you to drool over.”
“Shame, I was hoping to try and get in your knickers, if you wear them, but looking at you, I’d say you’re wearing those big unsexy pants."
I choked on my saliva.
“Do you hold no shame?”
“No, not really, I am addicted to pussy. Now, I want you to bring the designs to me, no further ifs or buts…I am the one paying for you and expect,” he in fumed me with his cologne. “Something mind-fucking-blowing. If you catch my drift.”
I agreed.
“Fine, I will put some ideas together and bring them to you tomorrow."
“You’re leaving so soon,” he said, disappointed.
“I am a busy woman, Mr. Valentino. I have another client to see today.”
“I hope he doesn’t stare at your ass and tits."
I shot him a glare, narrowing my eyes.









                                                           ✶💕✶ LINKS ✶💕✶

Amazon UK


Amazon US


Itunes 




Barnes and Noble : 


💕✶ STALKER LINKS ✶💕✶




Amazon amzn.to/2nWtAIt
Holly's FB Group bit.ly/Hollyfbvip2qbFM8E
Holly Fan VIP's HollyJGillsVIPs
Cover made by Envy Book Cover Designs







*´¨ðŸ’•)💕✶ITALIAN PLAYBOY GIVEAWAY*´¨ðŸ’•ðŸ’•✶

¸.•´¸•*´¨)¸.•*¨ðŸ’•)

💕(¸.•´‪ 💕 💕¸.•*´)¸.•*´

I'm offering one lucky person a signed paperback, shown in the image below, plus a $5/£5 Amazon Gift Card, and signed swag! Open Internationally - 
To enter:


> Share this post

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Closes 20th August

Links for Italian Playboy:





Tuesday, August 1, 2017

GUEST AUTHOR Amanda J. Evans


One of my favourite parts of being an author is meeting and chatting with other authors, and I have the greatest pleasure in introducing my next guest Amanda Donnelly all the way from Ireland. One day I plan to visit and I hope Amanda we will get the chance to meet.  





Thanks for having me here Jen. First off, I’ll introduce myself. My name is Amanda Donnelly, but I publish under my maiden name of Amanda J Evans. I turned 40 in July and writing has been my dream forever. I am a wife and mom and I live in a small village in Co. Meath, Ireland.

1.      What made you decide to start writing?
There was no decision made really. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I wrote my first book, The Little Elf Fairy when I was nine, and even sent it off to Penguin J My first rejection letter too. My life took a dramatic twist in 1990 when I lost my father to suicide and with him went all my dreams and aspirations. Life just didn’t seem to have meaning anymore and I rambled my way through my teenage years writing poetry as a means of coping. I didn’t pursue my dream of being an author and went to work in the local hospital as part of the administration staff where I remained for ten years. During that time, I scribbled down stories and poems at times but this was solely for myself and a means of expressing emotions that would otherwise have remained trapped inside. Things changed after the birth of my daughter and getting internet connection. I discovered that you could write and get paid for it. I didn’t have the confidence to write for myself so I began ghostwriting articles, eBooks, website content for others. It paid and there was no fear of rejection. By the time 2006 came around and my son was born, I was able to quit my day job and become a stay at home mom. I continued to write website content for several companies and still do today. In March 2016, I joined a local writers group and that was the start of major changes for me. Picking up my pen and writing fiction felt like going home and I realized how much I had missed this part of me. I wrote for our weekly prompts and this was my commitment to myself. Fast forward a year later and I had published my first fiction book, Finding Forever, and I was in the finishing stages of my second novel Save Her Soul. They say life begins at forty and for me I think my writing life is just starting too.

2.      Do you belong to any writer groups of organizations?
I belong to several writing groups on Facebook. I was a member of the local writers group where I live, but after securing a publishing deal I found I no longer had the time to commit to this.
3.      Do you have a routine you stick to every day or do you wait for inspiration to strike?
In July 2016, I began the page a day challenge. This is where I committed to writing a page every day for the month. Although I didn’t get to write every day, I did manage to get 31 pages completed during the month. The goal was to complete a number of short stories and I choose one that I had started. It was 1,500 words when I started the challenge and as the days went by and I started writing, it developed and became Finding Forever my first book. In August 2016, I kept to the page a day challenge. Every morning for 10 minutes I picked up my pen and notebook and wrote. Some days I wrote four or five pages, some days just the one, but I stuck with it and still do it to this day. It has been the best thing ever and I no longer end my day chastising myself for not writing.

4.      How do you plot your story?
To be completely honest, I don’t plot. I just pick up my pen and write whatever comes to mind and then continue each day until the story is told. I tried plotting once when I was going to do NaNoWriMo. I spent two weeks plotting out the novel I was going to write and I was thrilled with my progress. When the day to start writing arrived, I picked up my pen and something completely different happened. My MC who I plotted as a female, turned out to be male. I decided to just let the writing flow. I wrote 22,000 words during that month and although the novel has never been finished, I did learn that plotting just doesn’t work for me. I write as if I am watching a movie in my head and I allow the characters to tell me their story. So far it seems to have worked out really well.

5.      Are character names important to you in your novel?
Yes. I like to try and match the names to the character, but I must admit, sometimes coming up with names can be difficult.

6.      Which POV do you prefer to write?
I tend to write in first person POV as it seems to be what is natural for me. I do write in third person POV at times too. In both of my books, Finding Forever and Save Her Soul, I have written in first person POV with alternating chapters for my two main characters and readers have enjoyed this. For the book of children’s spooky short stories that I have been contracted to write, the stories are a mix of first and third person POV’s.
7.      What is the genre you write?
My genre is romance but it tends to cross over into a number of subgenres. Finding Forever is romantic suspense/women’s fiction and Save Her Soul is paranormal/urban fantasy romance. Romance is the main theme that runs through my books along with the premise that good always defeats evil. My books have a happy ever after.

8.      What are the pro’s and con’s of being published traditionally versus being an indie-author?
This one is a little difficult for me to answer as I don’t have the experience of both yet. Being an Indie author gives you complete control over everything, but it is hard, especially marketing. I do have a two-book publishing deal with a children’s publisher in America and they have been fantastic to work with so far. I love that fact that they do the editing and I have been involved in all decisions including the cover design. The first of these books is due for publication later this year and is aimed at 9 – 16 year olds.

9.      How do you balance writing, promoting and attending events to get your books before readers?
Again, this is quite difficult as a new Indie author and I am learning that marketing and promoting is essential. I haven’t attended any events yet. I write in the morning and try to devote an hour to promoting on social media before I begin work each day. It’s a steep learning curve, but I am enjoying the process so far.

10.  How important do you think covers are and how involved in the process are you?
I think covers a super important. They are the first things readers see and if they don’t like it, they won’t pick your book up. In today’s digital market, covers are even more important and they are the first thing potential readers will see. You cover has to stand out whilst still reflecting your genre. I’ve been completely involved in the design of mine and have been lucky to find amazing cover designers who got my stories and created the perfect covers.

11.  Best tips aspiring authors?
If I’ve learned anything over the past year, it’s to have confidence in yourself and learn as much as you can. Get advice from the experts, test all the different marketing possibilities and find what works for you. Don’t be disappointed if you don’t hit the NY Times best sellers list, this isn’t going to happen with your first book. Don’t feel disappointed in lack of sales either, just keep writing the next book. Spend time and money on editing and cover design and don’t publish anything until you are 100% happy with it. Join writing groups and get to know other writers. The Indie community can be amazingly supportive so don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice.

12.  Aside from writing what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Spare time is usually family time for me. I have a 14-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son, as well as my husband, so we like to relax, watch movies, and take our dog for long walks. For me, I love to read and take very long hot baths. This is my down time, and I love reading new books and finding new authors to follow. I also love to eat out and spend some quality time with my husband when we can.

13.  How do you cope with stress, bad reviews or days when nothing seems to work and your question if you should be writing at all?
When this happens, I know I need a time out and that is usually when I call on good friends or family for a catchup and a day out. This helps me get everything back into perspective. If I can’t do that I journal and that helps to clear my mind. I haven’t received a bad review, touch wood I don’t, but I did have an editor who totally tore my books to shreds and hated my main character. She was the only person, the editor that I chose to go with loved the book as did all my beta readers. They wanted more and that is how this book has ended up being a series. I think with negative reviews, you have to remember that your writing won’t be for everyone. There are books from famous authors that I haven’t enjoyed and ones that I have loved. If the review is relevant and honest, I feel everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just try to remind myself, that I am doing what I love and I can’t please everyone.
14.  What is the BEST part about being an author?
Getting to be me. I love nothing more than to pick up my pen and let the words flow onto paper. It makes me feel whole and can instantly transform a bad mood. I love creating characters and stories and sharing them with the world. The best part for me so far has been holding the paperback in my hands and seeing my name on the cover. There have been a few others too, being nominated for a 2017 Summer Indie Book Award and making the list of 98 Best Books of 2017 according to Goodreads users. Finding Forever was voted #93.

15.  How important do you feel reviews are and how to you encourage readers to leave one?
Reviews for Indie authors are so important. The more reviews you have the more sales that follow and the more Amazon will actually promote your book too. It’s hard to get them, but I do add a little note at the end of my books asking readers to consider leaving a review if they have time.
16.   Tell us about your books, where they can be found and ways readers can stay in touch?
I have two books available at the moment. Finding Forever was published on the 31st January 2017, and is a romantic suspense novella. Save Her Soul is my latest novel and this is a paranormal/urban fantasy romance. My books are available on Amazon in eBook and paperback formats.

Finding Forever tells the story of Liz and Charles. The story begins with Liz waking up on the beach in her tattered wedding dress believing that Charles has died in her arms. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book as Liz races to rescue Charles and confront demons from her past. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY9IPZG

Save Her Soul is my latest book releasing on the 1st of August 2017. This is the story of Kate and Drake. I loved writing this book. Kate is strong, feisty, and very stubborn. Reeling from the murder of her sister, she is determined to have her revenge. Little does she realise, that her revenge could end the world. Kate’s soul was cursed almost five hundred years ago and evil resides inside of her. Drake’s mission is to save her soul and bring her back to the light, but he himself has other ideas and wants to let her rage loose. The official description for this book is:

Can Love Survive When Evil Exists?

Almost a year after the brutal murder of her sister, Kate’s world is anything but ordinary. Consumed by the rage in her soul there's nothing she won't do to get her revenge.

Drake’s no ordinary guy. Dead for nearly 500 years, he’s been tasked with saving Kate’s soul but he has a mission of his own: to ensure she gets what she wants so that he can take her soul to hell. He’ll stop at nothing to see her succeed, but their fates are tied and love may stand in his way.

As secrets are revealed, can one cursed soul end it all? Is love strong enough to overcome evil and break the curse that binds them both?


Find out in this new paranormal romance by Amanda J Evans.

Readers can find out more about me on my website: http://www.amandajevans.com

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

The Witch's Heart book two in The Rise of Orion series

London 2017
                                                           
                                                           
The summer is crazy for me. First off, I have been traveling to, Florida, London, and Wales all fun trips. Too much to drink and eat!!! You can check out my pictures at the bottom. When school ended and summer vacation started, my friend invited us to stay with her at her condo in Florida. How could I pass that up? My youngest had a blast, and it was the relaxing break I didn't know I needed. We swam in the Indian Ocean, fished on a boat with our own Captain Jack, and dined in The Bubble room.

After that quick break it has been non-stop. No sooner did I arrive home than I had 24hrs to unpack, wash clothes, clean the house,  and repack before catching the next flight to London. My husbands friend, was getting married back in Wales and we decided to make a holiday of it by stopping in London for several days before we went to Cardiff.

It was a fantastic trip, busy as we walked miles every day to capture as many sights as possible, and travelled by all modes of transport from plane, train, taxi, bus, cable car, and water taxi. Now, I'm back in the States. My kids are home, and I'm busy with my book release for August. Therefore, my strong women series is on hold until September!


                                   



                                                                  THE BLURB

Secluded away in a secret mansion on the beautiful coast of Maine, pregnant, soul-shifter, Ella, should be happy. Instead, knowing her enemies, the sinister Professor and the nefarious Elusti remain, she’s tormented with dread for the future of her unborn child.


Stubborn ex-navy SEAL Marcus refuses to forgo his mission with the security team Orion even after his emotional wife dreams him dead. Determined to keep her safe, he asks her to remain at the high-tech security fortress to take care of their baby.


However, you cannot outrun destiny because it lurks in the darkness waiting. When Ella’s worst fears materialize they are shattered by loss and guilt. Each blames the other putting their love to the ultimate test. How much are you willing to sacrifice for the one you love?



                                   A TEASER





Pre-order your copy today and it will be delivered right to your Kindle on the 1st August! #newrelease A fast paced paranormal romance that is full of heat, betrayal, loss, and forgiveness! #alphamales #strongwomen #reincarnation Please share with all your friends!


Thank you!!!
#Amazon

AMAZON UK

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AMAZON FR

AMAZON INDIA

AMAZON ITALY

                             

                                    


















Friday, June 9, 2017

Tamikio L. Reardon Strong Women Interview June



I started the "Strong Women" series because I wanted to celebrate how incredible women are, especially when faced with adversity. Many discover a resilience to bounce back, and in some cases re-invent themselves.


It co-incides with my deep belief that life is an ongoing education. That life is a huge classroom full of lessons to be learned. One lesson, I learned from a young age was to face my emotions, and not to hide from them. The way I respond to situations is part of what makes me the person I am. I will not be sorry for being emotional. I know crying, doesn't make me weak, it actually helps me to let go of the pain that builds inside and in that way I can move on.


I have not dealt with the issues of abuse that many of the women in the series have faced. I have suffered with a lack of confidence which stems from my childhood. Each day, I work on not feeling smart, enough or good enough.

Perhaps, that makes me push harder to achieve my goals?

I have felt heartache and loss many times.

I have been betrayed by those who are meant to love you. It rocks your world, shakes your foundation and leaves you lost. Betrayal of any kind hurts. You have to forgive, but not forget.

Having a dream, a goal to reach, family, friends or a special someone pushes us in terrible times to keep taking one step in front of another and continue.  Tamikio is a prime example of how despite the dreadful experiences she faced, she has created an image of who she wants to be and is taking action to pursue that vision. I wish her all the best.

Please, welcome, Tamikio L. Reardon





Tamikio L. Reardon
Inspiring Author and Journalist
Tamikio L. Reardon is the award-winning author and self-publisher of The New Jersey Stalkers Book Series: Serpents of Nightmares. The author writes fictions of mystery, thriller, crime, and horror. In her spare time, she writes poetry, short stories, and inspirational books. She has written a book for diabetics called, Diabetes Recipe Box. Tamikio wrote the health book "The Health Plan.
More of the author’s work includes the Noiseless Phantoms and Dear Mama. She is the co- author of the poetry book Poetic Healing for the Soul, writing for children’s hospital, and she is the co- author of another upcoming poetry book Poetry for the Image, writing for disabled veterans.
The author interviewed by author, poet, and Atlanta radio talk show host, Katrina Bills, on the Katrina Bill Talk Show.  Tamikio interviewed journalists, radio talk show hosts, authors, photographers, and bloggers on her blog called, Important Author Interviews. The author is known for her upcoming inspirational and motivational book I am That Phenomenal Woman.  




I am That Phenomenal Woman
At the end of March 2017, I put together a new project encouraging women. Attention to women’s struggles and achievements; I’m encouraged to share women stories of struggles and achievements. I’ve interviewed women authors, journalists, and bloggers sharing their achievements. On top of interviewing women sharing their stories of trials and tribulation and how they overcome them. The pleasure of working with each woman and her story drawn me to feel theirs as I struggled with issues of my own in the past.

Let’s talk a little about my life struggles inside the book. I grew up in Detroit, Michigan and raise in Detroit my entire life until the age of thirty-one. I got married on May 26, 2006, and moved to Mt. Clemens, Michigan to start a new life. But, things took a turn for the worst on December 18, 2009 I divorced and moved back to Detroit. My struggles in life started as young girl with the permanent partial hearing loss.

It was difficult for me to act in public schools where I received harsh treatment from other students, bullied, and assaulted. Growing up from a young girl developing into adolescence, I suffered from depression and refused to take treatment. Raped three times and one attempted assault, four times, by four different men; I thank God for escaping the incidents.

During recovering from the assaults and suffered from depression, I become addicted to supplemental drugs over the counter. I had an underweight problem and wanted to gain a few pounds. Most women want to lose few, but no, not me! No matter what I gone through earlier in life or suffered from hearing loss, and rape assault, I never gave up on my dreams to graduate high school and college.
 I graduated from Henry Ford High School in 1994. After graduation, I attended Goodwill Industries Greater Detroit to become a Data Entry Specialist in mid-1994 and graduated as a certified Data Entry Specialist. After receiving my first job as a Data Entry Typist, typing marriage, divorce, death, and tax forms for the state of Michigan, I attended Henry Ford Community College majoring in Business Management in 2001. I graduated with an associate’s degree in Business Management in 2005. Today, I’m attending Southern New Hampshire University majoring in Communications journalism.

 My goal is to become a Journalist and graduate in January 2020.



Although my struggles may not be drastic to other women, it caused pain and heartaches throughout my life. I felt insecure about partial hearing loss, depression, constant bullied and assaulted didn’t make situations any better.

Today, I still suffer psychological issues.

What is more important is I took the bull by the horns and overcome the negative obstacles. How did I take the bull by the horn? I never allow the pain and downfalls to cripple me and moved forward with the things which benefited such as getting degrees and learning the knowledge to make me successful. 


I encourage each and every woman to get a copy of my upcoming book
I am That Phenomenal Woman. My book shares inspirational women’s interviews by women authors, bloggers, and journalists. Links to support disabled women, seminars, and motivational conferences; most important my book shares true, real women stories of women struggles and achievements. I also, share my personal motivational messages and five simple tips about how change your mind to block out negativity. Book release May 20, on Amazon and Lulu; the book available on other bookstore retailers such as Barnes and Noble and Goodreads.

Visit my website Women’s Achievements at Http://tamikioreardon.wixsite.com/womenachievements.

Visit my social media


Join my women’s inspirational group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/392727521101139/













Tuesday, May 2, 2017

ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER!





Hi everyone, I met Helen back in March 2017 at an author event, and I knew right away this lovely lady had a story to share. I love chatting to women about how they overcome the difficult days of their lives. It is always inspirational to listen to such stories. It reminds me when faced with my battles that others are out there confronting their own. It teaches me to be grateful and joyful for every single day.


Helen Rousseau, a Catholic nun for 30 years, is now an ordained interfaith minister. Helen’s poems and writings are about her journey from dogma to interior spiritual freedom and from an abusive relationship to exterior freedom and joy. She resides in Kennebunk, Maine, where she has a spiritual direction practice and offers writing workshops.

ONE THING FOLLOWS ANOTHER: When I think about my life, I realize that what I had to overcome was all of a piece with my whole life. It wasn’t one event. It was a series of events, one growing out of the other or caused by the other.


I was brought up in the 40’s and 50’s. The restrictive parameters of growing up French Catholic in a conservative time influenced the decisions of my life and not always in a positive way. Fear of sin and hell was an ever-present component of our religion classes and sermons at our French Catholic church. In this environment, where sin was around every corner, the church encouraged young men and women to seek their salvation by entering the priesthood or the convent, often at an early age, as young as twelve, when one’s character wasn’t completely formed.


I succumbed to this persuasion and entered the convent at the age of 17 with no clue about what I was doing or what that life was about. 




Over the years, the world was changing in tumultuous ways, the rebellious 60’s brought change in the Catholic Church also. Pope John the 23rd wanted the Church to be a servant in the world and not to be exercising the power that it was used to. There was a more pastoral approach to life and how to live it. There was a call to action which reverberated with many, including myself, who no longer saw the ways they were living as relevant.

This change led me to leave the convent and to set out on a new spiritual path. I could never have imagined, when I was twenty or even thirty years old, how far this would lead away from the Catholic Church to an embrace of interfaith as a way of life.


I went to Boston University School of Theology and studied and prayed with people from many religions. It shattered my parochialism and narrow thinking and I emerged as a student of the spiritual path as lived and practiced by religions as different as Methodist to Hindu.




Soon after, I discarded all religious trappings as I struggled through an abusive relationship that left me no energy for anything else. Having been in the convent, I was innocent to the ways of the world and to the fact that someone could be so controlling, self-centered and abusive. The therapy I have done over the years has allowed me to see that everything was connected from a controlling father, controlling church and controlling partner. In 2004, at the age of 62, I began my new life of choosing to be in control of my destiny.

Through therapy I found healing and a different way to look at my life and choices: with much self-acceptance and compassion. During this time, I was able to reconnect with my spiritual path and find inspiration from many religions and spiritual thinkers. In 2015, I was ordained as an Interfaith Minister and now live a life true to my own spiritual nature.


Helen likes the mantra “the Universe provides for all my needs.” This coincides with my trust in life and in things to work out favorably – even though in the moment it may not seem that way. That is why mindfulness and being present is so important.

WAYS TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HELEN.

HELEN's WEB SITE
FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE
AMAZON LINK!

My book is available on Amazon: Coming to the Edge: Fifty Poems for Writing and Healing

At times, when we are in a difficult place, we often feel we’ve come to the edge of our endurance. What remains before us is the darkness of the void. We can choose to stay at that awful edge or to move on to paths that are life-giving and supportive. Many of these poems speak of being in that place. They also speak of resilience and trust that solutions will show themselves as we choose to move on. In other circumstances, when life is going well and we’ve worked through our pain and struggle, we move confidently forward bathed in the light of understanding, support, love and friendship. Our hearts become full and our joy, like the waters in a rain-fed river, flows over the edge into new streams of possibility. I wrote Coming to the Edge with the intention of sharing my difficult but transformational journey. My hope is that my poems will be a springboard for your own thoughts and expression; a tool to discover your own answers and your own truth.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

YOU ARE ENOUGH

As a writer one of the parts of this crazy life I LOVE is the fact I get to meet extraordinary women. We each have our own story. On our journey through life there is usually a part of our story that changes us not only as individuals, but often changing the direction of our lives. In meeting Amanda Houle, I came away realizing the incredible privilege I have when such strong women are willing to take a stand and share their story in order to help others.

Amanda inspired me to want to tell mine one day! For now, please read her story of survival.
Amanda Houle~~~MEd, Ed, Psychoeducational Specialist, Parent Consultant, Child Behaviorist.

AMANDA'S WEB-SITE
A few details about me. I am thirty-five years old. I was born in Methuen, grew up in Salem, NH, with loving and supportive parents. Growing up one of my teachers said, one day, I would be a journalist because I had such a bubbly and inquisitive personality which isn’t too far from what I do. I’m an educator but that’s not all.
 
I am a SURVIVOR.

My boyfriend of 4 years put me in the hospital not once but twice. For close to 15 years, I have dedicated my life to helping others. I am an empath. I truly believed I could save him and help him to be a better man, so he could treat me the way I deserved, or so I thought. I knew what he experienced in life but what I didn’t know was the cycle of abuse or have knowledge of his narcissistic behavior. We had fun and created wonderful memories. We had good sex, stimulating conversation, and a puppy. We were a family.

Domestic violence has no stereotype.
We met in my last semester of grad school. He was supportive of my dreams. I was beginning to make really good money over 100k 2 years after grad school. But things changed. It started very early on with verbal abuse, and I just thought this is how a relationship is. Fighting is normal. It’s a vicious cycle and when in the honeymoon phase, it's perfect.  I was happy or was I living in a dream?
There was no trust. He was a pathological liar, and I couldn’t see. I tried to make him leave many times.  I was comfy. I loved my job, my apt, my city. I didn’t want to pack up my whole life that I worked so fucking hard for. Why do I have to give it all up? It was hard so I stayed always thinking it will get better. He will change. We will work on it. I even started therapy to help, tried to get him to but nothing worked.
The inevitable happened. I ended up in the hospital. I had to uproot my whole life. I struggled and still do. I have moved back to Brooklyn 3 different times since I left him. The 2nd time a year later. I thought we could be friends. Boy was I wrong. He put me in the hospital for the second time and my injuries were even worse leading to surgery this time. I was even more alone. Due to lost time at work, I fell behind financially and once again had to make the decision to leave. I didn’t want to move. I had my heart set on staying. I was happy but, yet miserable. I fell into deep depression. I suffered with PTSD. I wanted to die. My dog saved my life.

What happened in the past is something I live with every day. Each time I look in the mirror I see the scars on my face and I am reminded or when I do yoga having difficulty placing my finger flat. It gets easier but some days are HARD because I miss my old life, my city, my park, my friends, my amazing spin classes, I miss my old life minus the bad times. When those dark days hover, I seek help through daily exercise. I also keep a journal, read, enjoy yoga, working out and have received support through EMDR (Eye, Movement, Densensitization, and Reprocessing) from a doctor who specialized in trauma victims from the Boston marathon and counseling.


Starting over is never easy.

BUT, I am stronger and wiser. I have learned more about myself and my resilience that I ever imagined.  Anyone living through this cycle,  I am here to tell you this…


YOU ARE ENOUGH.

You deserve more. You deserve a true, trusting, endearing relationship. One that sets your soul on fire. Never settle. You are enough.

My goals for the future are to be able to reach families all over the world to empower and educate them to live a happier life. I also want to help women  realize that they are an amazing species. That we deserve the very best and not to let anyone in your life take advantage or bring you down. 
If anyone is dealing with any of the subjects discussed, please, reach out and ask for help. Some useful links are below.

SUICIDE PREVENTION
THE NATIONAL DOMESTIC ABUSE HOTLINE

DEPRESSION

HOLISTIC PSYCHIATRY