Danielle Bryan asked Danielle Bryan:

What inspired Scars into Light, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

Danielle Bryan Scars into Light began as a personal healing journey. I started writing it just to get everything out of my head—to put my experiences somewhere outside myself. I wasn’t sure if I would keep it or burn it when I was done.

One day, I was talking with a friend who’s also a trauma survivor, and I mentioned the book. I told her it had been cathartic for me to put it all down on paper—well, “paper” in the modern sense. She asked if she could read it, and I warned her that it contained some very triggering stories. She said she was okay with that.

After reading parts of the ARC, she told me I had to publish it. She said it helped her in several ways—first, by reminding her she wasn’t alone; second, by helping her realize it’s okay to feel uncomfortable with someone’s behavior or unwelcome advances; and third, that the poems, songs, and “letters” inspired her to start writing her own letters to her scars.

That conversation stayed with me. I thought long and hard about what she said before deciding to publish the book. I chose to release it under my pen name, Everley Starr, partly to give the work its own space and partly to protect my privacy. I didn’t want people who knew me personally to see me differently or treat me differently if they ever picked it up.

My hope is that readers will find comfort in these pages—that they’ll know they aren’t alone, that healing is possible, and that there is light beyond the pain.

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