The Black Sheep Shadow
by
Ashley Terrell
Date of
Publication: April 19th 2017
Publisher: Ashley
Terrell LLC
Cover Artist: Freepik
Genre: Memoir
Tagline:
“We have symptoms of ‘The Black Sheep’.
Aren’t you aware?”
A unique book on strength and how a person
can overcome difficult events in their lives.
Buy Links:
Miles Away From
Ordinary
I have always been
told that with success on any level come prices, struggles and journeys that
can take you off road, and from the things that you have always known. In my
mind as well as my life, I always considered myself one that would never
understand what it was to succeed. I did not have the best support system
especial y with any day ending in a Y.
Growing up, I
remember the white picket fence in some instances though they were blurry. What
I do remember the most is the feelings I bottled, the conversations that
pierced more than my self-esteem, but it factored into my confidence, my
beliefs and my lifestyle.
You never know what
someone is thinking or how their life has been affected no more than you know
how damaging words and actions can be.
As one that was
affected by the “what happens in this house, stays in this house” policy, I
began to not say much. Unlike other households that had an “open door policy”,
things were very strained in the Davis household. As time I grew older, I felt
like my opinion didn’t matter and affected how I treated others. It also had a
bearing on how I treated myself.
My life isn’t
ordinary. I was not a person that uses to be happy. I was not a person that
enjoyed company of friends, nor did I have the desire to be a socialite. I was
determined to come from under the stigma of being the black sheep.
In all my years of
living, the thing I found most profound is the power of God. God will have you
speak to someone to deliver His words because He knows that person who is
consulting with you will listen. That is trust. When God began to use people to
speak to me, it was groundbreaking. It was scary. I never thought I was special
enough to have such a privilege.
As I was sitting with
my mentor to write an alternative book, we were brainstorming on paraphrasing
when suddenly I blurted out, “There is no real word to describe my brother
being murdered. There is no real word to express my darkness. People see the
success of what I have done, not the pain that I had to endure to get there.”
Within that moment, I
knew my time has come I didn’t know for what though. He slowly looked around
and I noticed his leg overreacting under the table.
“That’s your story,”
he hissed. I paused. For the first time, I felt like a big, fat old-school
Jawbreaker was lunged in my throat.
“No one wants to hear
my story. They want to know how to go from sleeping on air mattresses and
eating Ramen Noodles to how to go on tour, promote and do the stuff celebrities
do,” I replied.
Just off the tidbits
I had told my mentor, I never seen his face more flushed. “If you don’t tell
your story,” he pauses and looks away, “then the Devil wins.”
I notice the
goosebumps that wildly appeared on his arms. His body is still overreacting.
The scent of the air changes. His advice is no longer suggestive, it is pushing
and piercing.
“Your story is the raw
truth, this book here we are editing is pretty. We need truth. Help someone
break out from feeling alone. Help others take a step forward to want to be
better. Your story is compelling and can do that,” he told me.
For the first time
ever, I confidently agreed with him- in silence.
Buy Links:
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/GbjPHJs62Os
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