Hello dear reader, and thank you for being here.
Please read below a quick note I penned, which readers will find at the end of the novel. The title and theme of this book are quite serious: searching hearts, finding your heart's desire, healing hearts, pouring out your heart... So, I wanted to share this here on Goodreads too, if people are wondering where I was coming from when writing this story.
FROM THE AUTHOR
Have you ever felt alone? Like no one understands you? Or as Elizabeth wonders, “I never thought someone could know everything I ever did in secret, and still have grace for me.” I’m here to tell you that there is grace for you. That you are more than your past or your mistakes or what people did to you or didn’t do for you. That the shadows on your mind can shrink. There is a future, there is hope, and you are not alone.
I wrote the first draft of this story during a time when I experienced severe post-partum depression. Much of my experience is woven in Elizabeth’s story, but not all, nor specifically in the way I portrayed her struggles. Imagination was important for me to navigate my experience and also the challenges I’ve seen in my life with close family and friends; not to copy any particulars, but to reflect journeys of trauma, regret, denial, and healing. I didn’t want to tell what happened to me, but I did want to explore how it felt. Taking Elizabeth on a fairytale-like journey was a precious experience but also fiction: a fantasy. True healing takes time and is a lifelong process. My desire is for you to hear the heart in this book—that there can be light in every story—and that it sinks into that hope-shaped corner of your soul.
If you find yourself with questions or are in the deep, please reach out to a trustworthy friend, family member, or member of your community. Lift your eyes, you are not alone.