Tell me more about your journey as
an author, including the writing process?
I’ve shared my story of overcoming childhood trauma
with many individuals and groups, and the impact that drug addiction can have
on families; detailing my journey being raised in a home with a single-parent,
addicted to crack cocaine, and how resilience, hard-work, dedication, and a
desire to break generational curses led me to become a successful adult. In
response, I’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback by many people, and
was often asked if I planned to write a book, or told that I should write a
book. After undergoing therapy to address suppressed trauma, in preparation to
prepare me to share my story with the world, I finally decided to write the
book.
I set a goal of one year, to complete the written
portion of the book. I began writing in early February 2022, and completed the
book in late March 2023. It took about two months for editing, as I read over
the book several times to make needed corrections. I then sent the book to an
editor; making it very clear that I wanted to maintain my voice in the book. I
explained that my book was written from the prospective of the teenager who was
experiencing the trauma at that time, so the book does contain some profanity
and slang. However, the book was to be a well-written, quality book. After
receiving the book back from the editor, I read over it a few more times; still
finding and correcting errors. I then submitted the book to another
professional, who specializes in book design and formatting. We went back and
forth until the book was as perfect as we could get it.
Writing the book was not an easy task, and gave me a
whole new respect for authors and the process they go through to perfect a
book. I discovered that it can be nearly impossible to compose a 100% error
free book, because each time I read the book, I’d find something that needed to
be corrected. Eventually, I had to move past my obsession with perfection and
move forward with finalizing the project. During the process, I conducted
research on the best publishing method, and determined that self-publishing was
best for me. Though that was a process in itself, it was actually the easiest
part, since I had a very good book designer, who is knowledgeable about the
formatting guidelines.
Tell me about your Book
The book provides detailed information about events
that occurred from my childhood to early adulthood. It begins with background
information on my grandparents, parents, and then myself and siblings and how
we came to be. It goes on to explain the events that led to my mother packing
her children up and relocating from San Bernardino California to Houston Texas.
The book describes how my mother went from being an amazing, responsible,
nurturing mother, to her falling victim to drug addiction, and how that severely
impacted her life and the lives of her children. I provide detailed accounts of
observing domestic violence, drug and alcohol use, as well as other traumatic
things I witnessed and experienced at such a young, vulnerable age. I talk
about my experience living from home to home, in an effort to escape the
turmoil, and how my greatest desire was to obtain an education, and place
myself in a position to give myself and my future children a better life than
the life I was given as a child. I also talk about the importance of therapy,
as one method to overcoming past adversity and trauma.
The purpose of the book is to inspire and motivate
others, who have been or may currently be dealing with similar situations. I
want to be the example that if one understands their inner strength, and
realizes, despite what they are going through or what they have been through,
they can still overcome and pursue their dreams and goals, thus becoming a
result of their decisions, versus a product of their past environment.
Any message for our readers
The
following is from the book:
I attempted to recreate events,
locales, and conversations from my memories of them. In order to maintain their
anonymity in some instances, some names and identifying details have been
changed to protect the privacy of individuals. In some portions, names were not
used, and individuals are referred to by their relationship to the author
(i.e., aunt, uncle, friend, neighbor, etc.). Additionally, this book was not
written from the perspective of a professional. The language and attitude
expressed in the content of this book are derived from the real-life
experiences and feelings of the author at the time that events occurred. This
memoir is written from a personal perspective and is for anyone who has been a
victim of adverse childhood experiences as a result of the devastating effects
of the crack epidemic.
The book details some events that may be triggering
for the reader, such as death, domestic violence and stories about
drug-overdose, attempted suicide, etc. However, there is no sexually explicit
material in the book.
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