Kelly Simmerman, Author

The Journal Effect
THE JOURNAL EFFECT is a Women’s Fiction domestic suspense that exposes the existential human quest for truth and the family secrets it spawns through the quirky voice of a unique protagonist. Family secrets suck. Especially when the secrets are about you.
Distrustful and awkward, 28-year-old Chelsea eats too many M&Ms and avoids mirrors. She wishes she could remember what had happened to her when she was ten, but her spotty memories of abuse don’t hold together. Anxiety and panic attacks plague Chelsea, and her pollyannish mother, Liz, completely denies that Chelsea was abused by her father.

The one who knew the family secrets, Grandma Eve, has died. Luckily for Chelsea, Grandma left clues in her journals to answer her burning question—did her father abuse her or not? The problem is one journal is missing, and Chelsea, in her quirky way, will do anything to find it.

Hunting for the critical lost journal sends Chelsea on a physical quest and an inner search for the truth. Chelsea transforms. She pushes herself and uncovers the facts, but it goes against what she had thought. Now, she must find her estranged father, who’s dying of cancer.

Authors Note: I wrote this book to honor those who have been abused by a family member or by someone who is known to the victim. To let them know that they are not alone and that healing after abuse is possible. That healing is usually because of a connection with someone who loves you, and for Chelsea, the main character, that is her Grandma Eve. So, I wanted to write a story that shines a light on this subject to empower those who have been abused. In one small way, my hope is to give a voice to those who have been shamed and silenced.
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