Breaking the Silence

by Diamante Lavendar

Overview

Based on a true story, a new novel from Diamante Lavendar.

Joan Eastman was born like any other girl. However her life would prove to be a life of great pain...

Growing up, she was treated differently by family members, powerless to defend herself against their sexual and psychological abuse. Feeling she had been dealt a wicked hand by the "powers that be", she spiraled into substance abuse and troubled relationships. She became a victim of addiction and self-hatred.

Not giving up, she becomes aware of a greater spiritual being that protects her and she begins to heal. Then she finds herself pregnant. She learns to understand nothing is hopeless; that with a changed view and self discovery, there is real hope in every situation, no matter how difficult.

As she and her husband look forward to the birth of their child, she writes in her diary as a way of expelling all of the evil memories. On bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy, she endures tests and tribulations that at first she couldn't begin to understand. But no matter how high the hurdles in Joan's life are, she doesn't look back, and pulls the pieces of her life together...for herself and her unborn child.

This inspirational story speaks of Joan's gradual self acceptance and healing of her body, mind and spirit. It speaks of the possibilities of the future and the fulfillment of the dream of love and family. And it speaks of jumping the hurdles in life without looking back, no matter how high those hurdles may be.

Buy Breaking the Silence now to experience this inspirational story of self discovery and healing following a past of sexual abuse, addiction, and troubled relationships.

Also written by Diamante Lavendar The Secrets of Yashire, a fantasy adventure story about a young girl on a quest for healing in a strange land.

Diamante Lavendar has been in love with reading since she was a child. She spent many hours listening to her mother read to her when she was young. As she grew older, she enjoyed reading novels of all genres: horror, fantasy and some romance to name a few.

She began writing in college and published some poetry in anthologies over the years. After her kids were older, she wrote as a form of self expression and decided she wanted to share her stories with others.

Most of her writing is very personal and stems from her own experiences and those of her family and friends. She writes to encourage hope and possibility to those who read her stories. Diamante believes that everyone should try to leave their own positive mark in the world, to make it a better place for all. Writing is the way that she is attempting to leave her mark-one story at a time.

To learn more about Diamante Lavendar's inspiring female characters, and their stories of personal growth visit her website.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781502381255
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	09/21/2014
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.29(d)

About the Author

Diamante Lavendar has been in love with reading since she was a child. She spent many hours listening to her mother read to her when she was young. As she grew older, she enjoyed reading novels of all genres: horror, fantasy and some romance to name a few.

She began writing in college and published some poetry in anthologies over the years. After her kids were older, she wrote as a form of self expression and decided she wanted to share her stories with others.

Most of her writing is very personal and stems from her own experiences and those of her family and friends. She writes to encourage hope and possibility to those who read her stories. Diamante believes that everyone should try to leave their own positive mark in the world, to make it a better place for all. Writing is the way that she is attempting to leave her mark-one story at a time.

To learn more about Diamante Lavendar's inspiring female characters, and their stories of personal growth visit her author page to read more about The Secrets of Yashire, her first novel on her website.

Editorial Reviews

“The journey of victimization, self-hatred, healing, illumination, redemption, and peace are wonderfully expressed in Diamante Lavendar’s novel. Her motivation cannot only be found by one but by all. Diamante Lavender’s deep understanding of the human heart is a gift to read.”

—Renee Salvatori, Author of Open Your Heart to the True You

"Breaking the Silence is a true testimony to the word resilience. A must read for anyone who has experienced or knows someone who has experienced heartache and pain from abuse."

—Vicky Coppens, Psychotherapist, MSW, LCW

“Joan Eastman is put on bed rest for the length of her uncertain pregnancy and buys a diary to occupy her time and Breaking the Silence is what she reveals in her diary: a saga of growing up repressing psychological and sexual cruelty and falling into substance abuse as one reflection of the self-hatred she feels.

Plenty of fiction and nonfiction sagas stop here, chronicling that abuse and its lasting impact; but the strength of Breaking the Silence lies in its ability to proceed past the pain to the other side, using the forthcoming birth of Eastman's child and her diary to foster the process of moving beyond past injustices into healing.

Any who have struggled with past abuse, wondering how to shake its shackles and move into a future unencumbered by past tragedy, will relish the first-person diary entries in Breaking the Silence, which follows a way out of the maze. It's a powerful saga of a woman determined to undertake the work that will truly release her from self-destructive patterns and reactions that pass between generations.

Juxtaposing the progression of pregnancy with life lessons learned from her experiences, Joan's story is a haunting survey of life, death, and everything in between, and a powerful saga not for those who would lead the unexamined life; but especially recommended for readers struggling with their own dark pasts and its implications for the future.

Plenty of stories capture the experience. Too few chart the course between devastation and destruction to spiritual and emotional rebirth. Breaking the Silence is one such gem—and is a top revelation especially recommended for spirituality readers who want an account of finding not just a way out, but God.”

—Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher