Jacqueline RaineyI've been writing poetry since I was eleven years old and to suddenly have this outlet of creativity just disappear was devastating. But here I am today the Author of four published books Through Whose Eyes: Rise, Child of God a book of poems and shot-stories and Toni's Blues a tale of domestic violence about a woman who searched for love in the wrong men. Dark Harmonie the tale of a gifted woman who goes through a transformation, she is hunted and marked for death because others want what she possesses. 30 The Dragonfly Catcher My intentions weren't to make it erotic, but to show just how far some of us will go to punish ourselves or fill a void. My character CaSandra is a fragmented woman with three sides to her personality. Although I grew up in Massachusetts and my first two books were written there; I'm quick to stay true to my place of birth which is Augusta Georgia, I will always be a Georgia Peach. I'm now an Arizona resident who relocated to this wonderful desert State on a true walk of faith. I had never done anything like it before; I packed up and moved almost three thousand miles away. There has not been a day that I feel that I've made a mistake it is quite the opposite I believe I am right where I am supposed to be on this part of my journey. I hit the Massachusetts foster system at the age of thirteen with my first foster home being the home of a Pastor and his wife. There were other homes that followed sometime with me going in the front door and literally out the back door. One of these homes included the home of a woman who chose to have all the children who entered her home baptized and so I was. Toward the end of my run as a ward of the State of Massachusetts there was Helen Green, who became the mother I always wanted, I miss her very much. I wish she were still here, but she passed many years ago from cancer. I take comfort in knowing that she can see me and has been watching all these years. After a brief stint in the Army I made my rounds at a number of the Massachusetts Colleges and Universities while struggling with Psych issues which also attributed to my substance abuse and later becoming addicted. I was bruised by my past, but I am no longer a broken woman I have walked through and sometimes crawled fighting to hang on for another day. The memories of child abuse, domestic violence, addiction, and sexual assault are heavy burdens for anyone to bear, but here I stand in God's hand. Even though my journey had not been one of comfort the Lord told me that I should now enjoy the journey. I fell in love with music first before I began writing poetry. My mother would play music all the time. At the age of eleven I discovered two things; that I could sing and I love to write poetry. I wrote my first love poem at the age of eleven. Music has always been a major force in my life from a very young age taking on many roles helping me to sometimes forget and at other times remember the good and the bad times in my life. Music is the only constant thing that is still a guiding force in my life from my childhood. I wrote all my books to music. Every stroke of the keys on my laptop was made while listening to songs that I felt were influencing my mood and thoughts as I wrote, I even listened to the sad songs that broke my heart and made me cry. Yes I'm an Author telling stories in ways that no one else can because I add the broken pieces of me to all that I write. All my main characters are females and I love showing that women are strong and survivors, it's my thing and it's who I became; I became a survivor. Read More Read Less