“Courage to Heal” Author Endorses “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades”

I am so pumped that author Laura Davis is endorsing my forthcoming #metoo novel, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.

Laura, as you may know, is co-author of The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse. A groundbreaking self-help book when it was first published in 1988, it remains in print today, in its third edition. 

Endorsement of Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

Here’s what Laura says about Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. This testimonial will be proudly displayed on the novel’s back cover when it comes out in September!

“Any sexual abuse, no matter the form or degree, impacts the victim. Stevens portrays this beautifully in this exploration of a young woman’s coming to terms with her past. And the parallel story of a woman grappling with workplace sexual harassment underscores the similarities in how society treats both types of victim.”

Back to the Future

I call The Courage to Heal groundbreaking because I believe it was the first self-help book written for incest victims. It was published long before incest became acceptable water cooler talk and a regular topic on various cop and lawyer TV dramas. 

Back then, #metoo wasn’t even a gleam in Tarana Burke’s eye. Alyssa Milano didn’t have a Twitter account to jump-start the swell of solidarity that now provides at least some buffer between sexual abuse victims and the skeptics.

One of my novel’s protagonists, Shelby, could have used The Courage to Heal as she grapples with recovered memories of her stepfather’s abuse. But I deny her that support as she relies instead on her friends and therapist to help her heal. After all, reading a book about someone reading a book wouldn’t be all that exciting!

Learn With Laura

As for Laura, it seems she has never stopped writing since The Courage to Heal was published. She has now authored seven non-fiction books. Under the umbrella of The Writer’s Journey, she mentors other writers, teaches weekly writing classes in Santa Cruz, CA, and runs regular author retreats. Oh, and in addition, she has been a columnist, talk show host, and news reporter and producer.

Learn more about Laura and The Writer’s Journey at her website.