Book Beginning: The Alehouse at the End of the World by Stevan Allred

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS
THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

The fisherman lived alone at the edge of the sea, in a shack beneath the shade of the tallest shore pine for leagues, on a bluff above a shallow cove.

-- The Alehouse at the End of the World by Stevan Allred, the latest release from Forest Avenue Press.

Allred's new novel is a feast for the imagination, following the hero on a 16th Century quest to find his beloved on the Isle of the Dead.

UPDATE: Oops! I forgot to include the opening sentence in my original post. It's there now.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Teaser Tuesday: Burnside Field Lizard by Theresa Griffin Kennedy

Darvella wore tattered blue jean cutoffs and a yellow calico halter top that was threadbare and thin, looking as if it came straight from a Goodwill bin. I was heading home from my job as a motel maid, walking east on Burnside when I noticed her large cerulean blue eyes watching me from a short distance away.

-- from the title story in Burnside Field Lizard and Selected Stories, debut fiction inspired by her hometown of Portland, from nonfiction writer and poet Theresa Griffin Kennedy.

Find my Rose City Reader Q&A author interview with Theresa here.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday: Raw Material by Stephanie Wilkes

One absolutely fascinating book came into my house last week. How about you?



Raw Material: Working Wool in the West by Stephany Wilkes. How one woman's search for "local yarn" lead her to sheep shearing school and a growing community of hardworking Americans trying to bring eco-friendly wool to market.

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Martha of Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.

Author Interview: Javelin Hardy

Javelin Hardy is a poet, counselor, and social worker. She drew on her training and background to tell her own story of recovery from abuse in The Girl Inside Me, a collection of poetry, stories, and historic photographs. She just released her second book of poems, It Takes a Journey to Heal.

Javelin recently answered questions for Rose City Reader about her two books and her work with trauma survivors and their families:

How did you come to write The Girl Inside Me, your first book?

I’ve been writing since I was a small child and this book is a collaboration of poems and stories I’ve written over time.

Your poetry deals with your own journey through sexual abuse any trauma. Was it difficult to tell such an intimate story?

No, it wasn’t because I decided I had been suffering in silence way too long and it was time for my voice to be heard. Using my voice was a way to release pain and embrace my healing.

Who is your intended audience and what do you hope your readers will gain from your books?

The audience is overcomers and survivors of childhood sexual abuse and trauma.

You are now a social worker and counselor. Can you tell us about your practice?

I currently counsel students at college and in my private practice I do a lot of training, education, and one-on-sessions in the African American community. Most of my work is on healing from trauma, abandonment, and family addiction.

What did you learn from writing your book – either about the subject of the book or the writing process – that most surprised you?

I learned I was dealing with generational trauma and learned behaviors. I’ve shared with people before that I didn’t get my masters to become a counselor. I received my masters to understand the dysfunctions of my family and how I can break cycles of abuse and addiction.

Can you recommend any other books about healing after child sexual abuse?

All of Susan Anderson books: The Journey from Abandonment to Healing, Black Swan: The Twelve Lessons of Abandonment Recovery, and Taming your Outer Child: Overcoming Self-Sabotage and Healing from Abandonment. Also Healing from the Trauma of Abuse: A Women’s Workbook by Mary Ellen Copeland and Maxine Harris, PhD and books on Bowen Systems Theory.

What resources would you recommend for survivors of child sexual abuse? How about for their loved ones and supporters?

Find a counselor who is skilled in Trauma therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and family systems, and find support groups for family around the same therapy.

What can friends and family of abuse victims do to support them?

Believe them, listen, and allow them to speak their truth. Please don’t try to tell them what worked for you or people you may know. Everyone’s trauma is not the same.

What is the most valuable advice you’ve been given as someone working to help abuse survivors?

“Healing is a Process and sometimes we have to walk alone.” Which is a poem in my second book, It takes a Journey to Heal. You can’t rush anyone, understand your client will go through the stages of grief several of times and sometimes go backwards. They will need a loving, kind, compassionate person to work with them through their healing.

What’s next? What are you working on now?

I released my second book, It Takes a Journey to Heal, this past July and I'm working on book number three for maybe next summer or fall 2019.

THANKS, JAVELIN!

JAVELIN'S BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE FROM DANCING MOON PRESS, OR ASK YOUR LOCAL BOOK SELLER TO ORDER THEM.

Book Beginning: Burnside Field Lizard and Selected Stories by Theresa Griffin Kennedy

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

It wasn’t that I didn’t recognize Leatrice; it was that she looked so wholly transformed I couldn’t place the young woman with the child that she used to be.

-- from "The Librarian's Daughter; Young Leatrice Never Grew Up," the first story in Burnside Field Lizard and Selected Stories, debut fiction from poet and nonfiction writer Theresa Griffin Kennedy.

Find my Rose City Reader Q&A author interview with Theresa here.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING