From the Author:
DearReader,
Emily'sstory, while fictional, is sadly one that is all too familiar. Statistics showthat you, or someone you know, has been affected by some form of childhoodabuse. Many victims cope with abuse by escaping through fantasy, which is why Ichose to include fantastical elements in this novel about true things.
Ihave had the distinct honor of being an Outcry Witness for half a dozen people.Six adult men and women shared their story of abuse with me, for the first timeever, decades after it took place. I did not seek out these confidences, butkeeping them is a trust I hold sacred. Their stories inspired me to researchand write my debut novel.
Themessage of RIVEN is empowerment and the integration of all our many partsthrough self-acceptance, self-mercy, self-love, and self-trust. Instead ofhiding and burying parts of ourselves that have been wounded, we can come tocelebrate every single inch of our beauty and Magic. This is when we transformfrom Survivors to Thrivers.
Ifyou, or someone you know is struggling as a victim or adult survivor ofchildhood abuse, I urge you to seek help. Childhelp National Child AbuseHotline 1-800-422-4453 is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Adult survivorscan find resources at ascasupport.org.
Thankyou so much for spending time with Emma and her siblings in RIVEN. Our livesare adventures... part psychological thriller, part romance, part comedy, partmystery, part tragedy... and if you're at all like me, you might be convincedyou have magical wings lying just beneath the surface waiting to unfurl. I'mendlessly excited to share more with you in SECRET KEEPER and PRIMED.
Xo,
Jane
From the Back Cover:
Triggered by the return of her childhood abuser and unable to cope with reality, seventeen-year-old Emily slips into the First Realm, an elaborate fantasy world she created as a little girl. Emily is powerful in the First Realm, maybe even more powerful than her attacker. It would be so easy to stay there, to lose herself in enchantment, to lose herself in love. But something sinister lurks in the forest shadows. Emily soon discovers her demons have followed her inside her fairytale. They're hunting her. With the help of the Fae, she frantically searches for the weapons she needs to defeat her greatest fears and escape back to reality, before the man who tortured her can prey on her younger brothers and sister, too.
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