I grew up in a world where crime, loss, and brokenness were familiar. Where strength wasn’t a choice — it was a necessity. Where childhood ended before it had the chance to begin. I know what it means to carry more than you should, to cry behind closed doors, and to walk through life without a blueprint.

Tia’s story mirrors parts of mine — and echoes the silent struggles of so many who’ve had to choose between survival and surrender, between becoming who God called them to be and who the world tried to force them into.

This book is more than a novel. It’s a testimony — of how God carried me through seasons of pain I didn’t have the language to explain. It’s my offering to those who were taught to be strong at all costs, even when their souls were breaking.

Too often, we’re taught to bury our trauma, mask our grief, and silence our mental battles. But God didn’t call us to hide our wounds — He calls us to heal through them. To let His strength be made perfect in our weakness.

I wrote this for the ones who’ve ever felt unseen, unloved, or unworthy. For those who’ve questioned if God heard their cries in the dark. I’m here to tell you: He did. He still does.

If you see yourself in these pages, I pray you also see His hand — lifting you, holding you, redeeming every shadow you’ve walked through.

Even in your darkest moments, God’s light never left you.
And neither did your purpose.

With faith and gratitude,
Denise Fuller