Well October turned out to be a very exciting month! My book launch was a success, and my daughter’s wedding was beautiful. I’m so grateful for all my readers. I’ve already received so much wonderful feedback. I would’ve posted here sooner, but I’ve been down with a nasty cold.
On Saturday, I will be at the Oregon Public Library selling and signing books. If you haven’t bought your copy yet, come on out, and I will sign it for you!
As always, please buy your copies from an Indie bookstore if you can! Ink Cap Books, Lake City Books, and Prairie Pages here in Dane County, all have copies available!
I was interviewed by Dana Pellebon on WORT fm yesterday. I will post the link for that interview in the “About” section of this page as soon as I have it. It was a lovely hour of conversation about my memoir and some other things specific to the area we live in.
It’s launch day! If you haven’t ordered the book yet, today would be a great day to do it. Hope to see some of you on Thursday at Dairyland Dessert Cafe in Stoughton at 7pm. I will have softcovers available.
If you’re interested in buying the book as an ebook or softcover you can do that now on Amazon! Audio book is on it’s way as well as a hardcover edition. Right now both links I have listed are for Amazon but I should have more within a couple of days!
Fall is my favorite time to write. Something about the gloomy skies and cooler weather makes me want to hunker down at my desk. My brain feels less foggy once the humidity drops. This morning I woke up, and all I could think about was writing. Things with “Final Girl” are humming along, and I’ve answered all the emails from Atmosphere. The house is quiet, and the rain has spoiled any other plans I might have had. While sipping my coffee, I play around with ideas and eventually give in. I give in to what has been waiting for me, my second book.
Yep, I’m writing another book. I began the second book in earnest last November. I took part in the Reedys writing challenge and was able to get about 50,000 words on the page. Since then it has mostly sat there. Partly because there has been so much to do with “Final Girl”, and partly because this next book is just more challenging. Writing about my adult self feels so much more vulnerable than writing about a childhood where what happened was out of my control. All my old fears about being judged rise to the surface, and like always, I’ve got to fight them off. Thankfully, my desire to write it all down is strong enough to overcome my fears about what others will think of me.
The working title of the next book is “A Spiritual Home.” Some of the topics covered will reference things mentioned in the first book. In other words, it will have some similar themes. “Final Girl” is about my journey from having no agency to having sovereignty over my own life. This next book is another journey, but this time it is more about deciding what I believe and finding a safe place to express my spirituality. My hope is that it will help readers to find a safe spiritual home and a way to ask questions. For so many of us, asking questions was just not something we were allowed to do while in the church. I’m also hoping it will help some survivors of religious trauma find freedom. Leaving a traumatic environment provides a certain sense of freedom, but often the ideas that traumatized you follow you wherever you go. True freedom is when you can be freed from the toxic inner voices that come along with the trauma. I’m also toying with the idea of adding some journaling ideas for those who like to write about their journey.
Well, I’ve chattered on about this long enough. Today is the 19th anniversary of my first date with my husband. We’ve both been bent over our work all day, and now we’re going out for a much deserved dinner.
I’m so excited to share some early reviews I’ve received for Final Girl-Surviving Church and Childhood.
“In her memoir, Final Girl Surviving Church and Childhood, Debbie McNulty details the fear instilled in her by her church, as well as the grooming and eventual molestation by a man she thought she could trust. However, the most painful part of this book is overall sense of loneliness—loneliness that was used against her in profound ways. This is a hard book to read—but worth the time and effort.” –Russell Gerney, author of The Methuselah Project
“Most children only have to contend with one monster in their lives—the one that lives in the closet or under the bed. Debbie McNulty had to face the Rapture Monster, the Family Dysfunction Monster, the Family Violence Monster, the Church Monster, and the Sexuality Monster. Her memoir, Final Girl: Surviving Church and Childhood, is a harrowing tale of a young girl who had to navigate her journey to becoming a young woman without the guidance and protection of those who should have been there when she most needed them. It’s a cautionary story, a must-read for those who care about young girls and supporting their journey towards being women. Parents, Pastors, and those who interact with young girls need to read this book!” –Amy Smyth Miller, author of Home: A Memoir of Family, Forgiveness, and Healing from Complex PTSD
I”n Final Girl Surviving Church and Childhood, Debbie McNulty offers a vision of hope and healing for the millions of humans who have lived with trauma, abuse, and zealously unyielding religious indoctrination. Witnessing her childhood fraught with pain and confusion culminate in personal strength and transformation in all it’s compelling detail, is a privilege. Each page is filled with brave, soulful, and riveting detail which this reader is thankful for. This is a must read for anyone with a heartbeat.” –Rebecca Colt Aslan, Author of Some Truths Lie Beneath
I’ve been debating where to write about my feelings. My emotions about my book being published have been hard to process and name. I’ve decided this is the best place. My humble blog has always been a platform for real feelings and saying the things that are hard to say. When my proof copy arrived, I was excited to see it! I looked at the cover and thumbed through the pages while my husband watched with anticipation. Then I placed it on the coffee table for a few days. I had a sense that I needed time before diving into the process of checking for errors. It did not take long for me to realize that I wasn’t reacting to this wonderful event the way others in my life expected me to. When they gently probed, all I could say was, “I don’t know how I feel?” Sometimes naming emotions is hard for me, especially when they are emotions I’m not accustomed to feeling. After processing with my therapist I have a better understanding of what is happening.
Real talk, writing this memoir has been a whole thing. While writing I went to all the darkest corners of my childhood. I wrestled with god all over again. Reliving some of these experiences not only opened old wounds but also created some new ones. It forced me to confront and make peace, and now maybe let go. So, I poured everything I had into this process and manifested something tangible you can hold in your hands. This object, my book represents two very different things. It is a representation of all the trauma and hope I experienced. It’s full of pain, struggle, tragedy, and abuse. I’ve managed to relate it all on paper and I’m asking people to read it and maybe pull some hope from it. It also represents hard work and triumph. It is the manifestation of believing in myself enough to try to do something really hard. I’m sure you can see how all this has created some mixed feelings.
What I know for sure is, I am grateful. Grateful for the healing, the experience, and the support I’ve gained along the way. I’m trying hard to remember self-compassion. No, I’m probably not reacting the way a person without all my trauma would react, and that is okay. Some days I’m optimistic and other days I’m scared to death. It’s complicated, and that makes sense. My story is complicated because I’ve lived a complicated life. This is just another chapter.
We are just over 70 days away from publication. When I get the pre-sale info I will post it! Thank you for your continued support.
I’m very excited to share my finished cover! It turned out exactly as I hoped it would. The back cover will be revealed once the interior layout is complete.
