FOREVER VIOLET’S REFLECTIONS
Now that ‘Forever Violet,’ my coming of age novel, has been published and my co-authors are busy working on my new historical fiction novel, I thought it would be interesting to ask Violet this important question: “Violet, if you could re-live your childhood would you do it?”
Violet replied, “If you had asked me that question at an earlier time in my life, I might have said I would not. After all, who would willingly choose to grow up in abject poverty with an absentee mother and an abusive, alcoholic father? Today, however, my answer is yes, I would.
True, I lived through some very difficult times, but I always held on to hope because I sometimes found someone who believed in me, particularly my high school teacher, Miss Barlow. Having her in my formative years fortified my determination to free myself from an environment that crushed the not only the bodies of the people inhabiting it, but their spirit, as well. In my struggle to escape, I faced many obstacles I could not have foreseen; however, being forced to survive the rigors of oppression, negativism and poverty hardened my will and strengthened my character. Hope and trust in myself, a belief that I not only could survive but would ultimately prevail as long as I persevered sustained me in my struggle to escape the bondage of my past.
It is my fervent wish that my novel inspires you, the reader, to appreciate and develop your inner strength, to rely on your natural resilience and to believe in yourself. With determination, hope and a vision of your future before you, you can and will succeed.
Best,
Forever Violet