Monday, June 22, 2015

Fallen - Earth Washed Away From Beneath The Mighty

Earth Washed Away From Beneath The Mighty
Leaving The Gravesite - Check your country's Amazon Store
In LeavingThe Gravesite, grief leads the main character to make a decision that nearly ends her life.  She makes this decision at such a young age that one can see why some parents may choose not to let their children attend a funeral or to shield them from the bereavement experience altogether.  The main character describes her experience as "... unlocking oceans of madness that wash away the earth from beneath the mighty."

On the other hand, an adult can harbor issues simply because of not being able to go through a helpful bereavement process as a child.  

This certainly was the case with my father.  His mother died at an early age.  She went to hospital in the mid-1920s.  He never saw her again nor did he ever see her grave.  He was six-years old.  It took over 70 years for him to find out how she died and where she was buried.  That revelation came about only through a sincere but out of the blue and rather rhetorical question by my aunt (his sister).  "What did those people ever do with my mother?

What's been your experience with bereavement as a child?

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Leaving The Gravesite - Released on Amazon


Since the preview of this biographical e-book is limited on Amazon, I offer this excerpt:



Christmas 1995, Willfully Dying Alone



Just die! Cancer, pancreatitis, the diseases rack my body; a pending divorce, all in the last few months – at twenty seven years old, my body, soul, and spirit waste away in this hospital bed at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas. Family, doctors, nurses, no one can pull me back. Prayer... it is just not a thing that exists in me. I shut off the words and encouragement that come from anyone. I willfully cut myself off physically and emotionally from all the people who love me or are connected to me.  That includes my two young children, a four-year old daughter, and a six-year old son. I am alone just like I planned to be.  A dead mother for Christmas 1995, that’s what I am delivering on Santa’s behalf.  At least everyone will be spared the horror of watching me die.  My temples are sunken.  My body stinks.  My room stinks.  Death hovers impatiently outside my window.  My next step is to stop breathing.  It was all but done.

I hear people entering my room as my entire torso tightens in pain, crushing my abdomen, working its way toward my throat.  I feel and hear my ribs creak.  Against my wishes, a doctor called my estranged husband.  The doctor urged him to bring my children to my bedside. 

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Undercurrents of Grief and Bereavement

Leaving The Gravesite is a true story of a dying 27 year-old woman who must come to grips with the “positive” and “negative” sides of her will.

The central character is a real person who, at only 7 years-old, made a decision of how she would die.  Twenty years later, she comes very close to effectively bringing that decision to culmination, despite being placed in hospital.  To her, this is a matter of will over medication and treatment for which she has no faith. 


For the casual reader, life is right there on the page.  For those who like undercurrent, there are many powerful subtleties dropped into every scene, alluding to other considerable backstories off the page.  The undercurrents reveal how the relationships developed which end up driving the central character’s behavior   No matter how many times I read her story, and that would be several times, there is something else for me to ponder deeply.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

LEAVING THE GRAVESITE

Leaving The Gravesite is based on a true story.  The Subject  is a real person who has chosen not to be named as an author.  She granted me permission and the honor of listening to life-altering events and to help find the words, pace, and structure to communicate her story to an audience.  Leaving The Gravesite will be a short story in e-book format. 

ABOMINATION

ABOMINATION Short-Story on e-book
Reverend Danté Rawling is committed to living the life of a prayerful and faithful leader. His religious activities have helped thousands. He is on the verge of becoming a nationally recognizable personality, as well. 

Then, the unthinkable happens. A scandalous dilemma engulfs him. Believing he has learned a powerful lesson, Danté chooses a path to resolve the overwhelming issue. Along that path, a chance meeting shows Danté how poorly he understands the dilemma and that he has gravely underestimated its dangerous outcome. 

Monday, June 8, 2015

Wednesday, June 3, 2015