Getting Happy... when you wish you were dead
Read Me First
My first five books were written and published in 19 months. This book has taken nine years from first draft to publication. That’s because this book tells my story.
I’m told the story packs a huge emotional punch. Naturally I’m no fit judge since writing the story has certainly been an emotional roller coaster. My hope is that laying this story bare helps parents be better and children be more resilient.
There are no apologies in this book, but the names have been changed to protect the privacy of others. After all, the important part is how I chose to respond rather than who did what to whom.
You’ll find the opening chapters have no emotional descriptors. Those come into the manuscript about halfway through. That’s how the journal entries appear. The only explanation I have is that it took me a while to recover enough that I could start to identify what I was feeling. Page numbers are omitted deliberately.
When you read this story, no matter how dark it feels, please remember the core message is I survived. You can survive, too. Find someone with whom you can connect – even if it’s a fictional character. And try to focus on the things you get done each day so you feel effective.Conrad Hall
August 2021