Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Share an Excerpt from a previous books 2021 – #Memoir – P.S. I Forgive You: A Broken Legacy by D. G. Kaye

We put a great deal of effort into promoting our new, recent and upcoming books but often our previous releases get sidelined.

In this latest series I am offering authors in the Cafe and Bookstore a chance to promote an earlier book (not your most recent) by sharing an excerpt from the book of 500 words. At the end of the post you can find out how to participate.

Today D.G. Kaye shares an excerpt from her memoir P.S. I Forgive You: A Broken Legacy – Debby is taking some much needed time  away from blogging following the passing of her husband, but will respond to your comments when she returns.

About the book

“I hurt for her. She wasn’t much of a mother, but she was still my mother.”

Confronted with resurfacing feelings of guilt, D.G. Kaye is tormented by her decision to remain estranged from her dying emotionally abusive mother after resolving to banish her years ago, an event she has shared in her book Conflicted Hearts. In P.S. I Forgive You, Kaye takes us on a compelling heartfelt journey as she seeks to understand the roots of her mother’s narcissism, let go of past hurts, and find forgiveness for both her mother and herself.

After struggling for decades to break free, Kaye has severed the unhealthy ties that bound her to her dominating mother—but now Kaye battles new confliction, as the guilt she harbors over her decision only increases as the end of her mother’s life draws near. Kaye once again struggles with her conscience and her feelings of being obligated to return to a painful past she thought she left behind.

An excerpt from P.S. I Forgive you

Thanks for featuring my book today Sally. Today I’d like to share an excerpt from my book, P.S. I Forgive You. I chose this book because it’s a good time in the world to think about forgiveness.

As many of my readers know from my books, I grew up with a narcissistic mother. I didn’t realize how affecting it was on me and my siblings, but particularly me, until I became a young teen and began seriously studying her for most of my life. My empathy kept me trapped in her clutches, and not until I was 50 years old did the final straw come down to force me to make the break from her for my own sanity. It was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life, and even after I’d finally banished her from my life, my heart still hurt for her. After she died, seven years later, I found it within myself to find forgiveness for her and for myself for abandoning her, and to have peace within myself.

Aftermath

My mother is dead. She had been dying for so many years that when the day finally came, my heart was drowning in a swirling abyss of guilt. The years of emotional turmoil I had pent up as the daughter of a narcissistic mother had reached their denouement.

My anger and past resentment toward my mother had turned into an inquisition, a searching of my soul. I needed to understand the root of her ego. It was not enough for me to lay her body to rest. I needed to fill in the gaps, find out what had spurred the injustices she inflicted on so many, and clear the debris lingering in my own conscience to make peace with my past and send her off with my forgiveness.

I had realized how emotionally toxic it was to hang on to hurt and resentment, but the death of my emotionally abusive mother didn’t necessarily end the residual hurt of being abused. To set heart free, I needed to seek out a path to resolve past hurts and the conflict that had tainted my memories.

I’ll never know if peace waits for my mother on the other side. I wonder if the afterlife offers second chances to wrongdoers or if they learn lessons from the injustices they commit while on earth. I’d like to think God has mercy and has welcomed my mother into heaven with the same forgiveness I have granted her after learning to surrender my resentments. Looking back, I have realized what a lost soul my mother really was.

Through all her theatrics, lies, and betrayals as she portrayed herself as the person she wanted to be, or perhaps believed she was, my mother harbored a damaged soul that didn’t know how to dig itself out. The same persona she had created to shine in the limelight, to acquire anything she desired, or to disguise her insecurities, ironically, became her downfall.

This story is the aftermath, my way of coming to terms with and relinquishing the guilt and instilled fears I have carried from childhood. It is my decision to banish my mother from my life and a resolution to find peace within myself with my decision.

One of the reviews for P.S. I Forgive You.

E Tyler 5.0 out of 5 stars A rare glimpse into rawness and vulnerability…  Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2020

I see that other reviewers have talked about this book as a “story.” And that is true—there is certainly a story, a true one, woven through these pages. But this is not a novel, nor did I read it simply as a memoir. I think what I appreciated the most, in fact, is that the author is not trying to be literary. She is not trying to move in a chronological flow with a traditional arc. She isn’t even trying to teach or encourage people to do this or that based on what she herself has experienced. Like a personal journal, this book is not prettied-up for the sake of onlookers. Reflections wind their way between now, not long ago, childhood, then back to the present. Some thoughts resurface throughout the book, as the author struggles again with something she thought she’d already packed safely away. It’s a rare glimpse into rawness and vulnerability, with no other goal but honesty. So on one hand, yes, it is a story—one that will invoke empathy in any reader, just as a novel might, though its characters may be disparate from the reader. Yet for those who have, in fact, lived a similar experience, I believe this book will, without ever suggesting solutions, allow many to begin or continue their own process of acknowledgment, grieving—and ultimately letting go.  

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US –  And: Amazon UK

Books by D.G. Kaye

Read all the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – and: Amazon UK – follow Debby: Goodreads – : Blog: D.G. Kaye Writer – Twitter: @pokercubster – Linkedin: D.G. Kaye – Facebook: D.G. Kaye – Instagram: D.G. Kaye – Pinterest: D.G. Kaye

Debby Gies is a Canadian nonfiction/memoir author who writes under the pen name of D.G. Kaye. She was born, raised, and resides in Toronto, Canada. Kaye writes about her life experiences, matters of the heart and women’s issues.

D.G. writes to inspire others. Her writing encompasses stories taken from events she encountered in her own life, and she shares the lessons taken from them. Her sunny outlook on life developed from learning to overcome challenges in her life, and finding the upside from those situations, while practicing gratitude for all the positives.

When Kaye isn’t writing intimate memoirs, she brings her natural sense of humor into her other works. She loves to laugh and self- medicate with a daily dose of humor.
I love to tell stories that have lessons in them, and hope to empower others by sharing my own experiences. I write raw and honest about my own experiences, hoping through my writing, that others can relate and find that there is always a choice to move from a negative space, and look for the positive.

Quotes:
“Live Laugh Love . . . And Don’t Forget to Breathe!”

“For every kindness, there should be kindness in return. Wouldn’t that just make the world right?”

When I’m not writing, I’m reading or quite possibly looking after some mundane thing in life. It’s also possible I may be on a secret getaway trip, as that is my passion—traveling.

I hope you will participate in this series.. there are currently 130 authors on the shelves with reviews within the last six months and you can check your entry at this link – Cafe and Bookstore

How to participate in this series

In this latest series I am offering authors in the Cafe and Bookstore a chance to promote an earlier book (not your most recent) by sharing an excerpt from the book. Please check the link if it has been some time since you were promoted in the Cafe.

The aim of the series

1. To showcase a previous book and sell some copies.
2. Gain more recent reviews for the book.
3. Promote a selection of other books that are available.
4. Share an excerpt from the first book in a series to encourage readers to buy following books.

I will top and tail in the usual way with your other books and links, bio, photo and social media. I will also select a review that I feel has the best selling pitch for the book.

• This series is open to authors in the Cafe and Bookstore who have more than one book (as this already gets promoted on a regular basis) and have reviews for that book I can select from. Cafe and Bookstore
• I suggest an extract of 500 words or a poem that you feel best reflects the theme of your collection. This is a PG rated blog and there are younger readers so it would be great if you could bear that in mind.
• If you have an illustration or images you can attach to the email for me to include. No need to send the cover as I will have that or will access from Amazon.
• I will check reviews on Amazon sites as well as Goodreads and select one I feel is a great advertisement for the book.
• As an author in the Cafe and Bookstore I will already have all your details, links and covers of other books so need to send anything further.
• Please send your excerpt and any accompanying images to sally.cronin@moyhill.com

N.B..If you participated last year in the two series and would like to check which book you shared, please email and I will let you know.

Look forward to hearing from you.