Author Spotlight: Jana Richards

 

 

Strong Enough Blurb

Charlotte Saunders has a full life—a rewarding career as a nurse, meaningful volunteer work at a dog shelter, and family, friends and pets she adores. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t forget the horrible event that’s haunted her for ten years.

A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Damon Greyson now helps others who have suffered trauma. His experience and intuition alert him to trouble in Charlotte’s past, and he wants to help her, if only she’d let him.

As they work together to help veterans suffering from PTSD and neglected dogs needing loving homes, their feelings for each other deepen. But when the trauma from Charlotte’s past roars back to life, both are forced to confront their painful histories—or die trying.

One of Jana’s favourite scenes from Strong Enough…

This is a scene from STRONG ENOUGH, book 4 in the Masonville small town romance series. It’s one of my favorite scenes ever because my hero, Damon, rises above the fear and shame of having been sexually abused as a child. Along with his brother Ben and his sister Blair, Damon confronts their mother Victoria at the prison where she’s incarcerated. Victoria is a sociopath who’s tormented them their entire lives. Damon finally feels strong enough to stand up to her:

The prison guard let them into a visitation room. It was stark, the only furniture a small table in the middle of the space with one chair on one side and two chairs on the other. A guard brought in a third chair while they waited, and Damon sat in it as he glanced around. The room could only be described as bleak. The concrete block walls were painted a sickly green similar to the color of hospital scrubs. There were no signs of human habitation, no magazines strewn about, no empty coffee cups or soda cans. Just a door on the far side of the room where prisoners entered. Damon stared at the door.

His mother would soon enter through that door. Blair and Ben sat on either side of him, neither of them speaking or even moving. This couldn’t have been any easier on them than it was on him, and yet they’d insisted on coming. He’d never loved his siblings more than he did right now.

The door on the far side of the room opened, and Victoria walked in wearing an orange prison-issue jumpsuit, followed by a female prison guard. Victoria smiled in triumph as she sat across from them.

“Well, children. Isn’t this nice? A family reunion between a mother and her babies. Couldn’t stay away from Mommy, could you?”

“Cut the crap, Victoria,” Damon said. “This isn’t a social call.”

Victoria draped one arm over the back of her chair and crossed her legs. “Well, if not to support your mother, what did you come here for? And don’t say to gloat, dear. Gloating is so unattractive.”

“I don’t expect you to understand anything I’ve come here to say, because I finally realize you have no feelings, no caring for anyone but yourself. Anyone who’s done the despicable things you’ve done is nothing but a monster.”

“Do not speak to me with such disrespect,” Victoria hissed. “I’m your mother.”

“You’re not a mother. You may have given birth to us, but you’ve never been a mother.”

Her smug smile widened. “If you’re so upset with me, then why are you here?”

“To tell you I’ve been to the police to inform them that Campbell didn’t find me by accident when I was eight. You gave me to him. You gave your own son to a pedophile.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Damon heard the sneer in her voice, but he also heard a note of worry.

“I told them everything. How it started when Campbell picked me up after hockey practice instead of you. How I heard the two of you arguing about the country club membership he was supposed to secure for you in return for free access to my body.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. No one’s going to believe such an outlandish story.”

“They’ve already questioned Campbell, and he confirmed it.”

Victoria turned noticeably paler. Even she recognized the danger she was in. “He’s lying.”

“No, for once in his life he was telling the truth. And for once in your life, you’re going to listen.”

“Don’t be rid—”

“I said you’re going to listen.” Damon raised his voice only marginally, but some of the rage inside him must have surfaced because Victoria immediately stopped speaking. “We’ve danced to your tune for too long, but that’s over. You’ve tried to destroy everyone you’ve ever come close to—your husband, your children, your parents. You came close to totally destroying me as a child and again now, but I’m stronger than you. I’m not going to let you win. I’ve never felt so powerful as when I told the police how you gave me to a pedophile. Peter’s already told them how you beat him. Clayton Brown and Carmen Miller testified that you blackmailed them. You’re going away for a very long time, Victoria. And if you ever get out, don’t come looking for any of us, because we never want to see you or hear from you again. As far as we’re concerned, you’re dead and we’re free of you. You don’t matter. We win.”

With that he turned and headed to the exit, Blair and Ben right behind him. As they left the jail and started across the parking lot to the car, the adrenaline he’d been running on suddenly evaporated, and he began to shake, unable to take another step. Blair looped her arm through his and Ben supported him with an arm around his waist.

“You were magnificent, Damon,” Blair said. “I’m so proud of you.”

Ben tightened his hold. “She can’t hurt any of us, or anyone we love, ever again.”

Damon nodded. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, then expelled the breath through his mouth. As he breathed over and over, his body supported by his brother and sister, the darkness began to lift. Black thoughts left his body with each exhale. The weight of the world fell from his shoulders, and the chains and shackles that had kept him imprisoned for so long dropped away.

He began to laugh. Blair poked him gently in the chest. “What are you laughing about?”

He wrapped his arms around their shoulders. “I’m free. I’m finally free. Let’s go home.”

“Those are the sweetest words I’ve heard all day,” Ben said.