A Purely Wrong Story is a nuanced spiritual self-help book tailored for women grappling with the aftermath of sexual shame. Why was this an important book for you to write?

I wrote this book not only because I have been in the same shoes, grappling with my own aftermaths, but because I could pack out a second book listing the mistakes I have made over a ridiculous amount of years! I hoped to save other women from any portion of the delays and regrets that I knew so well. My prolonged search for healing was partially due to the Christian community often preferring or only addressing a message of abstinence, so I felt there was a significant gap in acknowledging and supporting any woman whose story didn’t include abstinence. Yet beyond coming alongside those who are already hurting, I want to demolish the imaginary gap that has separated millions of women from true healing in the first place.

Women are often told to hide their past and not address anything that goes against the teachings of Christianity. What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

Hiding and denying are rooted in shame: the belief that something is so inherently wrong, so beyond hope, or so uniquely horrible that it does not have the capability or deserve the privilege of being expressed. However, in every story I read about Jesus, He always sought the least likely companions. Never once did He silence or shame anyone with a messy past or a less-than-perfect present. What He did do, though, was deflate the religious elite of His time—those who felt they were superior, infallible, or beyond reproach.

No one is perfect. Everyone falls short of the Bible’s teachings in some way, so no one maintains the right to make any woman feel “less-than” because her life is imperfect in any capacity. For me, it was incredibly freeing to accept that there was nothing I could do to disqualify me from Jesus’ love. Nothing I experienced or did would ever overpower God’s grace. Keeping my past hidden produced zero value. Instead, hiding kept me from knowing the freedom of being loved and accepted.

I want all women to know this freedom available to them, too: Despite what they may believe or what others have said, they are not “ruined,” their stories still hold potential and value, and Jesus happens to think the world of them.

Sharing the things you went through and the shame you felt allows readers to see your book as more than just information; you connect on a personal level. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?

The hardest thing when writing about painful experiences is that there is so much pain and so little time. Drawing on the rawest fears and hesitations that held me back, I sought to confront as many possible objections and hindrances as I could that may be barring readers from finding their healing. Despite my longing to remedy their pain, I know I cannot be the ultimate one to remove their pain, for healing is a choice every woman must make for herself. Yet, since too many women feel that healing is beyond their reach, I was desperate to speak life-giving encouragement and deliver life-sustaining help to those haunted by the deepest levels of hopelessness and shame. I tried my hardest to write in a way that honors every woman with the self-worth they deserve and the power they need to banish their pain once and for all.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?

Assurance. Women who have suffered any form of sexual trauma will likely approach this book with only one assurance: Life is hard. While hardship will remain a fact in these women’s stories, I want a more significant, undeniable fact to dominate their lives: their stories are not over. In the deepest parts of their souls, may readers walk away with unshakeable joy stemming from the assurance of their healing—both now and forever.

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/02/17/life-giving-encouragement/