Larry Penny, East Hampton Star’s nature columnist, me, and Gail Parker, former principal of East Hampton Middle School, posed for a picture taken by my son, Michael.
My son, Ben, took this picture of my husband Jack and me at the end of the book launch day. We were in a great zone!
Walt Disney once said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” On November 11th, at the Baker House-1650, I held my first book launch for my debut, YA novel, The Journey of Hannah Woods. Days leading up to the event were nerve racking; there was the food to take care of, and the pastries to order, and the invitations to send out. And then the day came, and it all ran so smoothly, thanks to the help of my friend, Kathy McCormack. I had done it; I had done the impossible and I had had fun doing it. The event was a success. It was casually elegant, attended by many of my most cherished friends. Everyone loved the appetizers prepared by Dreesens and the pastries and cookies baked by Breadzilla. The word was out; my book was live.
It’s now two weeks since the book launch and I’ve been receiving many wonderful congrats and well wishes and kudos. My fears were uncalled for. The story rings true, the tension drives the plot, and the characters are three-dimentional. My friend, Linda Fuller, a retired English teacher, said, the characters in The Journey of Hannah Woods “mean something to the reader; they plunge into the reader’s psyche and allow the reader to live inside their world.” She went on to say, “Your voice came out loud and clear. The structure was there, the characters drawn lovingly, but it was the dialogue I most admired. The back and forth between Dr. Hope and Hannah seemed so realistic. I think children could gain a lot from this story.”
The editor I worked with, Cindy Kane, the editor for Richard Peck’s two Newbery award winning novels, was a master teacher and editor. I spent one year of my life crafting this tale about fourteen-year old Hannah Woods who suffers from panic attacks. Overmedicated by a family who has a secret, Hannah lives in a world full of anxiety and fear. This is her story; her journey from the depths of Black Hollow’s darkness, the wealthy old-money town where she grew up, to the light of Crystal Cove and the world of her hippie grandparents.
As the story opens, Hannah Woods, haunted by the neglect of an alcoholic father and the abuse of a mentally ill caretaker, is plunged into a nightmare that threatens her very existence. After her father drowns, Hannah’s world spirals out of control as she is forced to move to the other side of the island where her newly discovered hippie grandparents live.
Hannah suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She is addicted to prescription drugs; drugs given to her for anxiety and depression; drugs given to her to keep her silent. Her heroic journey begins the moment she enters the world of Crystal Cove where she struggles to navigate the emotional world of adolescence and addiction. With the help of her Grandma Pearl and her Grandpa Hollis, the talents of a remarkable therapist, Dr. Katherine Hope, and a new best friend, Emma Matthews, Hannah discovers her amazing self.
The evolution of Hannah’s character will empower both teens and adults who find themselves addicted to drugs or who have experienced the devastating effects of physical, emotional, and/or psychological abuse and neglect.
The response to the story has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s a layered story that seems to touch a wide variety of people. One of my friends shared with me that after finishing the book she thought it was truly, “amazing! A must read for all teenagers and adults who suffer with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and panic attacks.”
I hope everyone who follows this blog will invite Hannah into their homes so they can experience the difficulties encountered by people who suffer from PTSD. Then, with time, tolerance will grow, and people will be more patient with each other. And then, as Steven Kellogg once said, “If everyone had the same dream, it might come true. A PEACEABLE KINGDOM.”
Larry Penny, East Hampton Star’s nature columnist, me, and Gail Parker, former principal of East Hampton Middle School, posed for a picture taken by my son, Michael.
My son, Ben, took this picture of my husband Jack and me at the end of the book launch day. We were in a great zone!
Walt Disney once said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” On November 11th, at the Baker House-1650, I held my first book launch for my debut, YA novel, The Journey of Hannah Woods. Days leading up to the event were nerve racking; there was the food to take care of, and the pastries to order, and the invitations to send out. And then the day came, and it all ran so smoothly, thanks to the help of my friend, Kathy McCormack. I had done it; I had done the impossible and I had had fun doing it. The event was a success. It was casually elegant, attended by many of my most cherished friends. Everyone loved the appetizers prepared by Dreesens and the pastries and cookies baked by Breadzilla. The word was out; my book was live.
It’s now two weeks since the book launch and I’ve been receiving many wonderful congrats and well wishes and kudos. My fears were uncalled for. The story rings true, the tension drives the plot, and the characters are three-dimentional. My friend, Linda Fuller, a retired English teacher, said, the characters in The Journey of Hannah Woods “mean something to the reader; they plunge into the reader’s psyche and allow the reader to live inside their world.” She went on to say, “Your voice came out loud and clear. The structure was there, the characters drawn lovingly, but it was the dialogue I most admired. The back and forth between Dr. Hope and Hannah seemed so realistic. I think children could gain a lot from this story.”
The editor I worked with, Cindy Kane, the editor for Richard Peck’s two Newbery award winning novels, was a master teacher and editor. I spent one year of my life crafting this tale about fourteen-year old Hannah Woods who suffers from panic attacks. Overmedicated by a family who has a secret, Hannah lives in a world full of anxiety and fear. This is her story; her journey from the depths of Black Hollow’s darkness, the wealthy old-money town where she grew up, to the light of Crystal Cove and the world of her hippie grandparents.
As the story opens, Hannah Woods, haunted by the neglect of an alcoholic father and the abuse of a mentally ill caretaker, is plunged into a nightmare that threatens her very existence. After her father drowns, Hannah’s world spirals out of control as she is forced to move to the other side of the island where her newly discovered hippie grandparents live.
Hannah suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She is addicted to prescription drugs; drugs given to her for anxiety and depression; drugs given to her to keep her silent. Her heroic journey begins the moment she enters the world of Crystal Cove where she struggles to navigate the emotional world of adolescence and addiction. With the help of her Grandma Pearl and her Grandpa Hollis, the talents of a remarkable therapist, Dr. Katherine Hope, and a new best friend, Emma Matthews, Hannah discovers her amazing self.
The evolution of Hannah’s character will empower both teens and adults who find themselves addicted to drugs or who have experienced the devastating effects of physical, emotional, and/or psychological abuse and neglect.
The response to the story has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s a layered story that seems to touch a wide variety of people. One of my friends shared with me that after finishing the book she thought it was truly, “amazing! A must read for all teenagers and adults who suffer with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and panic attacks.”
I hope everyone who follows this blog will invite Hannah into their homes so they can experience the difficulties encountered by people who suffer from PTSD. Then, with time, tolerance will grow, and people will be more patient with each other. And then, as Steven Kellogg once said, “If everyone had the same dream, it might come true. A PEACEABLE KINGDOM.”