Kissing Strangers is a one of a kind poetry collection because it is not my normal genre nor to I plan on writing one like it ever again. It all started about 5 years ago when someone commented that the don’t particularly like my dark poetry and that I should write something a little less dismal. So what do I do? I hear a challenge and told myself that I am going to write a book of love poems (puke).
It took 5 whole years, working on it in between other projects. It gave me nightmares that I wouldn’t be able to finish it because it seemed so forced and not authentic. BUT, when I am challenged, I will get it done and I will over exceed my expectations. I am happy to report that it is finally complete and I do have to say, I’m really excited about how it turned out. I’m also excited it’s over and I can go back to my stormy, punch throat writing. Click image below to find it on Amazon.com.
*If you purchase Kissing Strangers, please consider writing a review. It only have to be a few sentences. It helps to support the author (me) and gets the work out about the book.
I had no intensions of writing this book. I was preparing my book Awkward Years last year for publication which was the product after a long battle of writer’s block. I was proofreading when the line, “I’m not dead”, popped into my head.
What most people don’t know, last year I was silently dealing with getting a divorce due to being married to a porn addict who was also a hypochondriac on top of a narcissistic, unemphatic pathological liar. I was married to someone who tried to make me believe I was less than human. Someone that thought could mold me into what he wanted me to be. I was called fat, I was ridiculed for what I ate. I was promised things with no follow through, ever. I was blamed for the porn that was downloaded on my computer because “he would never do that”, so it had to be me. Family and friends were pulled on puppet strings and fell for every last lie that came out of his mouth. I could keep going.
One thing he had wrong. He messed with the wrong girl. I can’t be played. I’m not dumb, I wasn’t born yesterday. I stood my ground, called him out on his shit and he didn’t like it. In the end, I blame no one but myself. I knew after being married a year that this wasn’t going to end well and I played along to figure out a plan to rectify the horrible mistake I made. Anyway…
I’m not dead was stuck in my head and I decided that was going to be the title of my next book. I’m not dead became my motto. I was going to rise above this tragedy that should have never happened and I am going to reclaim my life. But this book would end up being more deep and powerful than I was planning.
At the same time as my divorce, I was also going through things that no mother should have to go through. I will not go into details but I will share things that are already public knowledge. My daughter had attempted suicide more than once and spent time in and out of the hospital last year. I can’t explain how I had the strength to keep going. I don’t want to say I survived because we are still working on powering through. But I will tell you, this last year had tested me in a way that I hope I never have to experience again. After all this, I am a believer that I will get through pretty much anything that comes my way. I have learned a whole lot and that in fact, IM NOT DEAD. And yes, I got the ok from my daughter to use this title under the circumstances because I did not want to offend her or come off as insensitive even though the title was thought up BEFORE her challenges. I feel like I must share this because I know what some of you are thinking and I will nip that in the ass right now.
I’m Not Dead is extra special. The plan for the cover was supposed to be me wearing my burnt up wedding dress (which is a metaphor for those who are a little slow) but as it turned out, I couldn’t fit into it so I had to go to the next best thing, my daughter. Well, she totally nailed it. I have gotten more compliments on this cover than any other cover I’ve come up with. And I have to agree. She captured the mood of the book not only for the cover but in all the photos in the book, more than perfect.
By far, this book is the one I am most proud of. I hope you give this book of poetry a chance. I’d love to hear your feedback about it, good or bad, and I encourage you to write a review on Amazon if you do take the plunge and decide to purchase it.
2023 marks the 20th anniversary of when my first book, A Place with No Name, was published. For years I have wanted to do a second edition, as the first one wasn’t quite satisfactory in my opinion. Because of a mediocre final result, it became the bane of my existence. On a whim, I decided this would be the year I would redo it, making it as it was intended. Same as the first edition, I did NOT rewrite anything that was in the original notes before publication. The poems in this collection were written in notebooks and journals from the ages of 11-25. I took the completed poems as they were written, nothing was edited or changed. The only difference in the second edition is formatting, as over the years I have gotten better at it.
Since these poems are from the beginning of my poetry “career”, they are in fact, not my best. However, what makes them interesting is how young I was when I wrote them.
If you have the first edition and you are picking up the second, thank you so much for your continued support. If you are picking it up for the first time, Thank you so much for your interest! You can grab a copy of this gem on Amazon. If you do decide to purchase a copy, I invite you to write a review so I know what you think! https://a.co/d/8WGnWuu
Lady on a Wire 