Revisit Guest Post: The Inspiration Behind The Truth She Knew by J.A. Owenby

A few years ago, I met a friend for lunch (I will refer to her as Jackie). We met on a summer afternoon on the Oregon beach, and she began telling me about her adult daughter and their relationship. Jackie was attempting to repair a fragile and broken connection between them. She carried an enormous amount of guilt concerning her years of undiagnosed schizophrenia and how it affected her daughter. As she talked, I wondered what it would be like for a child to be raised with a mentally ill parent. Would they take responsibility for the parent? Would the child think they had caused the problem? What if no one was in their life helping them understand the truth?

Unfortunately, that was not the only conversation I had concerning mental illness. The more aware I became, the more I realized many suffer from depression, anxiety, bipolar, personality disorders, and more. My novels are not written with the intention of pointing fingers, but to give readers insight.

I wrote this book in hopes of raising awareness concerning issues that are typically discussed behind closed doors, or possibly not at all. The Truth She Knew addresses mental illness, mental and physical abuse, and religious manipulation from an eighteen-year-old daughter’s perspective. I have a soft spot in my heart for young people in their late teens through their early 20’s. I have found, from talking to this age group, that they are often confused by things they have experienced at home and have sometimes blamed themselves when it should not have fallen on their shoulders.

The more research I did, the more intrigued I became. Mental illness affects each individual differently, and one family member might not have the same experience as another. Thankfully, I had access to a few amazing mental health therapists that answered questions and directed me to good reading material. Mental illness is complicated, and one size does not fit all. It is a difficult issue to identify and discuss.

I love creating characters and stories that make you laugh, cry, and cheer as they fall in love for the first time, find their truth, and step into the journey of becoming an adult while dealing with modern social issues. As a contemporary and new adult fiction author, my goal is to entertain, enlighten, and support my readers as they identify with the themes in my books.

Here is an excerpt from “The Truth She Knew”

Walker shoved my car keys back into his pocket.

“Okay, I’ll take you to Joss’s and someone can pick me up there. I wanted to make sure you’re alright first,” he said.

“No you don’t, Walker. You want answers,” I said as I kicked at the ground.

“That would be nice under the circumstances. Just take a breath and listen for a minute. Try and think about things from my side, Lacey. We’ve dated for almost a month and you’ve always called when you said you would, but not last night. I waited and waited. Of course I’m upset. And worried.”

He paused and ran his hand through his hair.

“I wanted to call you so bad, but I remembered what you said about your mom when I called that first night. The last thing I wanted to do was piss her off. The next best thing I could think of was showing up at your work. I couldn’t think of anything else. Were you okay? Had I lost you already? Why hadn’t you called? Today lasted for years and I was scared of what you’d say to me tonight. But, you didn’t say anything. In fact, you told me every reason you thought we should be together and in the same sentence shattered any hope I held for us moving forward. So think about that for a minute, Lacey. Think about how I’m feeling right now. How I want to wrap my arms around you and keep you safe from whatever you’re running from. Tell me, or I’m left to draw my own conclusions and it starts with something bad at home, which means I’m going to hurt some motherfucker if they laid a hand on you.”

I froze, unable to breathe as his words sunk into my head and traveled to my heart. I’d already hurt him without meaning to.

“You can’t run from yourself,” I whispered.

“What?” he said and moved closer.

“You can’t run from yourself,” I said louder. “When you’re the problem, if you run, it just follows you. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try to change, I’m not getting better.”

Confusion clouded Walker’s face as he struggled with my words.

“Are you sick?” he asked as his voice hitched.

“I . . .”

He didn’t step any closer and wrap his arms around me. He didn’t promise things would be okay this time.

“Yes, Walker, I’m sick.” I bit my lip and forced the tears back. I was so tired of crying.

Who is J. A. Owenby?

J.A Owenby lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and two cats. She’s a published author of six short stories and is beginning her first full length novel. J.A. doesn’t mess around when it comes to working with a professional team in order to present her best writing.

She also runs her own business and helps people find jobs they love as a professional resume writer.

She is an avid reader of thrillers, romance, new adult and young adult novels. She loves music, movies, and pop tarts. Her downtime consists of a beautiful summer evening, snuggling with her hubby outside underneath the stars. If it’s winter, listening to the rain and watching NFL football.

If you are interested in upcoming giveaways including gift cards and signed copies, please follow my Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/JAOwenby/.

Website: www.jaowenby.com

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Bonnie S. Gortler

Bonnie Gortler, Consultant, Coach, and Author specializing in Wealth and Well-Being, is a successful stock market expert who has been instrumental in managing multi-million-dollar client portfolios within a top-rated investment firm during her over 35-year corporate career. As the author of “Journey to Wealth,” Bonnie has made it her mission to share the importance of risk management and how to enjoy real financial well-being by applying the technical and mental sides of investing. Bonnie has an M.B.A. and is a certified life coach. It is through her love of coaching, consulting, blogging, and social media that she creates change in the lives of many and inspires people from around the world. Bonnie is fully committed to your personal growth and development as she shares her winning spirit and powerful techniques with you. Visit BonnieGortler.com to gain tips and insights about investing, personal development, and inspiration through her articles on Wealth and Well-Being.
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