Author Exposure Review

A nice review from the Author Exposure blog. It really speaks to why I wrote the book. After reading the review, someone asked me if I thought my book would be good to give to a friend who is considering marrying an alcoholic. I never thought about "that person" as my audience, but who better to read Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar?

If "that person" reads my book, and if it helps inform their decision and save her/or him (and any future children) some heart ache? I'd feel really good about that.  

I feel like my own mom had no idea what she was getting herself into. She was like that metaphor about the frog in the boiling water. I'm not saying alcoholics are not deserving of love. I'm not saying you shouldn't marry one. But it would be best to go in with your eyes open, and have firm boundaries about what you will and will not tolerate.

Coming Down the Mountain and Women on Writing: Nice words about Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar

It was so nice to stumble upon this blog post at Coming Down the Mountain:A Writer's Blog! Karen Gowen, writer of said post runs a website called celerytree.com, a gathering place for self-published authors to market and sell their books. I put Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar up on Karen's site a couple of months back, because I thought she offered a really nice opportunity for independently published authors to support one another. She didn't tell me about her post, I came across it when I mumble googled myself. Yes, I googled myself. There I said it. Don't act like you've never done it. It's a perfectly natural thing to do. And technically I didn't google myself, I googled my book.

I was also recently featured along with three other writers in an article by Chynna Laird for Women on Writing. It is about taboo topics. Chynna is a prolific writer and a survivor, and an amazing special needs mom. She blew the lid off of taboo topics with her own brave memoir, White Elephants. She tells her story with such grace and understanding for her mother who was mentally ill, and subsequently very abusive. I really recommend her book. The scene that is coming to me now is of a loving aunt, who took her in and loved her, and no doubt changed the way she looked at herself and the trajectory of her life.



Those of us who have survived childhood trauma know how important these people are. The ones who offer a leg up. The ones who see something of value in us, even if shame keeps us from seeing it in ourselves.

I just love writers supporting other writers in telling their stories. Thank you Karen. Thank you Chynna.

And thank you to my Grandmother Doris Wilson, who by being thrilled every time I walked in the door as a child, led me to believe I might be lovable and good.