FIREWALLS and Post Traumatic Stress

My new release FIREWALLS is up on Amazon and Smashwords and other fine online retailers in eFormat and will soon be available in paperback, too. I will not be officially launching this novel until December, when my 23-stop library tour is over, but an author can't sit on secrets for long.

So, in conjunction with my fine friends and fellow authors over at Famous Five Plus, I'm giving you an advance sneak-peek at this, the third novel in my BackTracker Series.

Please visit the Famous Five Plus website where you'll find more information about this novel as well as a special time-limited coupon enabling you to download FIREWALLS from Smashwords in the eFormat of your choice for only 99₵ .

I'll share with you here, the Dedication and Author's Message from FIREWALLS:

Dedication 

Dedicated to those struggling with past traumas and to their loved ones who share their pain. 

Message from the Author 

I hope FIREWALLS, with its compassionate look at the roles of friendship and love in the healing of those with Post Traumatic Stress (PTS), enlightened you on the burden that trauma places on the mind, body, and soul of its victims and their loved ones.

Among other things, traumatic stress can alter thinking, derail love, split apart relationships, destroy careers, spark violence, cause nightmares and induce depression. Reaction to traumatic events can occur immediately or years later (as in this story), and in varying degrees and combinations of symptoms.

If you sometimes felt the characters were acting ‘out of character’ they were, because as Katrina and Shrug were struggling to overcome their pasts, PTS was chipping away at their hearts, clouding their thinking, and altering their personalities and behaviours.

PTS, also sometimes called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS) or, when job-related, Critical Incident Stress, can be effectively treated and those who suffer can recover and live healthy, fulfilling lives.

It’s incumbent on all of us to recognize and understand the symptoms in those whose lives touch ours and fully encourage their recovery. Katrina and Shrug were indeed lucky that they were surrounded by supportive friends and co-workers and were offered the professional help they needed. That in the end, they were also able to help each other heal, is a testament to the strength of the human heart in the face of adversity.

If FIREWALLS left you feeling Katrina and Shrug both have bright futures, you may be right—but you’ll have to wait for the next novel in the BackTracker Series to find out for sure!