What do you do when life hands you lemons. Authors make lemonade by writing the challenges into their work. Theresa Chaze is no different. Written as a way to cope with and to understand the sexual assault, Not for Ourselves tells the tale of a woman, who is attacked and tormented by men she met for the first time at a Pagan Festival. Unable to comprehend why they chose her, she performs a magical ritual that was designed to help her understand why they would want to destroy a stranger’s life. All though it is fictionalized story, it reflects how the assault and the months of harassment afterward shattered her life and nearly turned Chaze into a shut-in
Before
October 18, 2006, Chaze was confident gregarious woman, who faced
life with moxie and courage. Her writing career had begun to take off
with the launch of her novels and screenplays. She sought out
adventures and blazed her own trails through life. All that ended on
October 18, 2006. The person she was died that night and she became
someone she didn’t recognize. Before, she forgave easily. At midnight
her slate was wiped clean and everyone, including herself, had a
fresh start for the new day. All that changed. The fear overshadowed
her life. Leaving her home sent her into panic attacks that triggered
severe asthma episodes. The fear became a rage that she turned both
inward and onto others. There were many times in the next two years
that she had the razor blade out and the note was written. Good
friends keeping careful watch over her is the only reason she didn’t
follow through. Instead of asking for justice, she sought vengeance
on those who had harmed her. When Chaze lost her ability to function,
she sought help and was diagnosed with PTSD, After years of therapy,
Chaze has glued the shards of her former self together to create a
life that once again based on love, light, and hope. Writing Not For
Ourselves helped her complete the healing process
.
Alyssa
attends a local Pagan festival to read Tarot Cards as a way of
raising funds for a local animal rescue organization. When a group of
drunken men invade the festival, attacking the attendee and
destroying the booths, she and others stand up to them only to learn
that they are off-duty deputy sheriffs. Unwilling to let their bad
behavior slide, they file complaints only to learn that the leader of
the pack is the Justin Nevel, the Sheriff’s nephew. Although she is
one of many who complain, Nevel focuses his need for revenge on
Alyssa. His harassment quickly escalates. When friends and co-workers
stand up for her, his intimidation spreads to them. In an attempt to
understand why she was singled out, Alyssa performs a magical ritual.
But instead of receiving an answer, she is taken back to a Scottish
parish and the life when she was known as Shannon Marie Cullen.
The
granddaughter and heir of Jacqueline Marie Katherine de Medici,
Shannon Marie lived both in and out of clan tradition. However,
unlike their older sisters, she and her younger sister, Rachael, were
spared the limitations and intrigues of court. Raised more like sons
than daughters, they were wild and free. Both saw life as a challenge
to be met and conquered. Yet there was one sadness that Shannon Marie
was forced to accept or so she thought. Clan tradition stood between
her and Michael being together, which led to him choosing the path of
the Goddess. She loved him enough to honor his decision until the
obstacles between them suddenly vanished. She selfishly agrees to the
marriage. Instead of joy, their union brings about betrayal,
bloodshed, and murder
.
As
the memories of her past life awakened, Alyssa melds with her former
self. Watching the events before her death unfold, she began to
understand how the manipulation of others followed them through the
ages until they are forced to again meet. In the past, one man loved
her, yet her selfishness betrayed his trust. One man hated her for
who she was and for what he could never have. Both have again entered
her life. Have they learned enough to put finally put the past to
rest or will they again make the same choices that led to murder and
revenge?
Not for Ourselves is available on Amazon as a Kindle and in paperback as well as a PDF on the author’s website by clicking here