Imperfections by Ann Chiappetta Book Tour

Guest Post

I am excited to be here writing these words to all of you, the readers and bloggers following this tour thanks to Goddessfish and Momma Says.

The most pivotal scene in Imperfections is when Lainie is confronted by Shane at the Renaissance fair after she and Effren return from the night ride. It is the pivot point because Lainie shifts from thinking of herself as a victim. Until this point Lainie has suppressed her anger resulting from Shane’s abuse and now she expresses it with a surprising vehemence. It is her first step to confronting not only Shane but also  Effren, who until this point, isn’t aware of her traumatization. 

My novels and many of my poems express or include trauma and emotionally driven content because I was a trauma counselor for over fifteen years. One of my goals with this story is to bring the reader  along a path of healing beside Lainie. I also wanted the novel to be more than a love story or a story of possession – it is an example of resilience.   I hope you enjoy the  book and contact me anytime.

For Lainie, feeling unwelcome is only the beginning of her struggles. Her mom is addicted to painkillers, her stepfather is a felon, and her dad traded her in for a new family.

So what if she’s kicked out of high school? Determined and attractive, Lainie sets out to make her own path.

Shane, the young man she begins dating and believes is trustworthy, transforms into a possessive and cruel boyfriend. When Efren, Shane’s older cousin, enters her life, Lainie grasps onto a shred of hope, falling in love. Shane’s obsessive and abusive treatment of her, however, casts a deep shadow over Efren and Lainie’s chance to find  safety and a future free of the fear of Shane’s  sadistic retribution.

Will their love persevere, or will Shane’s pervasive and negative influence push Lainie and Efren apart, forcing them to love secretly?

Excerpt

I located the main office and handed the secretary the messily folded bunch of papers from Mom.

“Where’s your parent or guardian?” she asked, making a point of glancing around the office as if she hadn’t known I came in alone.

“My mom’s at work by now,” I said.

She tut–tutted and rose from behind the reception desk. “Well, we need her to come in and sign some papers. She must have forgotten to do that before giving them to you.”

Embarrassment flushed through me. I knew I’d have to make excuses for her again.

“Can I take them home and bring them back tomorrow?” I asked.

I endured her tiny eyes boring into me. She pulled a pen from the iron–gray frizz near her ear and tut–tutted again. 

I thought, how many times a day does she make that sound?

“Is your mother a single parent?” she asked, pulling a file from the cabinet beside the desk.

“Uh–huh.” 

She sounded disapproving. “I suppose you can fill out most of it. I’ll see what I can do. Have a seat. I have to print you out a class schedule.”

An hour later, I left with my classes and a campus map.

“Welcome to eleventh grade at Campbell High,” I mumbled, searching for the way to my next class.

By the end of the day, I had realized a few things: I had the wrong clothes, the wrong shoes, the wrong accent, and came from the wrong state. 

Ann Chiappetta, M.S. Poet and author 

Ann’s award-winning poems, creative nonfiction, and essays have appeared internationally in literary journals, popular online blogs, and print anthologies. Her poems have been featured in The Avocet, the Pangolin Review, Plum Tree Tavern, Magnets and Ladders, Oprelle, Western PA Poetry Review 2024and Breath and Shadow. Ann’s short story, The Misty Torrent appeared in the Artificial Divide anthology published by Renaissance Press (2021). 

Ann is the recipient of the 2019 GDUI Excellence in Writing award and the WDOMI 2016 Spirit of Independence award.

Independently published since 2016, the author’s seven volume collection includes poetry, creative nonfiction essays, short stories and contemporary fiction. 

Diagnosed in 1993 with a rare form of progressive retinal disease, Ann accepts vision loss as part of her life but doesn’t let it define her as a whole person.

The author resides in western Pennsylvania with her husband, retired guide dog pet dog and cats, striving to develop a mutually-beneficial relationship with her assistive technology.

Contact Ann by visiting her website: www.annchiappetta.com

Subscribe to Ann’s blog www.thought-wheel.com 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/verona.chiappetta/ 

Giveaway

Ann Chiappetta will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

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