Look for CORRUPTION OF A PLAID SKIRT on Amazon.com: https://goo.gl/hxAC0T
When I watch movies or television, I rarely choose stories that are going to break my heart. I am more of a horror or mystery fan myself. So it is funny that my first officially published novel is the kind of story that pulls at your heart strings - and may cause a few tears.
With that being said, sharing our journeys is the underlying theme threaded throughout the book. We all have our cultural differences and personality quirks, but when it comes to the important stuff, it's better to have people around to help you through it. A support system is the necessary structure that we as human beings need in order to survive this thing called life.
Let me ask a question that you should be asking yourself: Have you ever met or known someone who was a victim of abuse? Did you listen to their story?
Listening is one of the simplest forms of support - especially when people have experienced something they feel they should stay quiet about.
Lillie, the main character of the story, allows years of abusive treatment to fester within her before she finally acts out. She is mistreated as a child - then falls victim to rape as an adult. She curses herself for not being strong enough to defend herself. But just as the phoenix rises time and time again, Lillie also finds the strength to become a survivor.
It took me roughly ten years to complete Corruption of a Plaid Skirt, and several of those years were spent being convinced to publish it. I know that Lillie will not speak to everybody in the same way but I do hope that she can offer healing for those who can identify with her experiences.
Extended Thoughts - 2.7.2018
When it comes to the Plaid Skirt project, I have my reasons for writing it at the pace it takes. The story covers heavy subject matter of rape and abuse – and I wanted to instill that progression of heaviness into the first two of three sections. I had a lot of thoughts and memories to weave into the story as I no longer wanted them living inside me. But I did not want the actions to just be words on pages, I wanted readers to feel the depth of Lillie’s downward spiral. Once she lives through section three, the reward feels that much sweeter.
As I’ve mentioned, Corruption of a Plaid Skirt took me approximately ten years to write, and has experienced multiple edits for grammar/sentence structure since. (She came with a lot of baggage.) I shopped her around to potential agents, receiving all rejections from my query letters. Several of them said the project seemed interesting but they did not have a category to fit her in. In 2009, I even sent her to Oprah for one of the, “Make My Dream Come True” episodes. I composed a letter requesting help in finding an agent. Her people promptly sent back the manuscript, explaining they could not read anything that was unpublished and wished me luck.
In 2013, due to prodding from friends, I finally decided to publish her myself. She’s not perfect and definitely bears the label of a first published novel – but I love her. Lillie feels like the child I never had and always wanted the best possible future for. And with today’s exposure of the #metoo movement, I feel that she finally has a platform for her voice.
Once a year, I curl up with my favorite purple blanket and read Plaid Skirt for her message of encouragement. She tells me that no matter how low we can feel that there is always hope.