Past Traumas Lead to Catharsis

Writing about writers is important to me. As an inspiring novel writer wannabe, it gives me great joy to share with others when a local person writes a book and has it published.

Ann Wachter, from Long Grove, is my newest find as she recently wrote a new book, Catharsis. Although she was an English major in college, she feels that she has always been learning the art of writing throughout her own life. From her professors, of course she learned, but she feels working alongside attorneys when she was younger and then volunteering at for their Cub Publishing program was incredibly helpful. 

According to my Mac online dictionary, catharsis means “the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.” It seems that in writing the book, that is literally what Ann meant to do for herself.

She says, “I hoped that writing this story would help me find myself and my purpose. It became clear to me as I wrote, that I was discovering so much about myself as I created the character Amzy. I literally experienced my own catharsis. I knew that the process of discovering myself and the transformative power it had on me was worth sharing with others.”

In the book, Ann says she experienced many of the same childhood traumas Amzy does: divorce, physical and emotional abuses and disadvantages of low-income status. She says, “What I found was that as a child, the traumas I experienced never left me, and followed me into my adult life. So it is with Amzy.”

Ann’s hope is that Catharsis will raise awareness that many types of childhood traumas impact children, and for many like Amzy, well into adulthood. “I believe that new forms of counseling for children can help them lead more productive lives. There are so many times Amzy didn't have someone to reach out to who could recognize the challenges she was facing alone. Children and parents need to know there is a source of trained, sound guidance that can help their kids cope and overcome isolation and misunderstanding.”

Ann’s book is currently available through Amazon.com and at a mere 140 pages, it’s sure to be a book you can read over the weekend. Please share your reviews with me. I’d love to hear them.

As always, email me with any news, topics or ideas that you want to read about. Remember, I’d like to be the first to know! I can be reached at laurenbgpatch@aol.com.