Kirjahaku

Toxic people do toxic things.They don't care if they hurt you.Empathetic people care too much.About people that are around them.My Mother. My Husband. My Friend. My Self.Part autobiographical, toxic/empathy takes an exploration of toxic people throughout life. Their traits, the things they did, and the authors own pain, experiences, and healing.All done through poetry.The authors first published work, this book is a sometimes confronting, delving into toxic people and toxic behaviours, displaying both hurt and resilience, with a no bars held approach to themes of domestic abuse, neglect, emotional devaluation and mental cruelty. It explores the confusion and anguish of the empathetic half and the healing processes and understanding when emerging from the other side.I am the phoenix. And I am free.Note: This book contains subjects pertaining to abuse, sexual themes, and domestic violence and may be unsuitable for readers under 18.

before/after is a collection of poems about the grief and loss of a child. The poems take a poignant look at a life cut short, the shock of death, and the impact of this passing on the people that loved them. Kayleigh, J L Herald's oldest daughter, passed unexpectedly at the age of 13. This loss molded the life that came after, as she and her family struggled to find acceptance of the hole that was created in their lives.This collection of poems are grouped into three distinct sets: before - a collection of poems about her daughter, her life and her joy; between - after her daughter had been hospitalized and the feelings and hope of her survival, her passing and preparation of the funeral; after - from the funeral to present day and the ongoing struggle to remember, but also to forget, exploring the stages of grief - anger, depression, denial, acceptanceThis collection was written over a period of 14 years, a journey of pain, of grief, and one of acceptance and even happiness.