Edgewise
An Assignment To Remember
by
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April, 1984 at Oakwood Institute in Cheatham, Georgia. I was content enough to go right on sitting there in Dr. Robinson’s office enjoying my candy, but I knew the inevitable was about to happen. The doctor always had to start talking, and around that place her northern accent stuck out like a glob of black paint on a white picket fence. “You look very nice today, Delaney. Your husband will be so pleased to see you dressed in regular clothes, and your hair brushed.” It was the first time since the day I was brought to Oakwood that I was allowed to wear my own clothes, no more gowns and robe. Belts were prohibited, and my jeans fit much more loosely than when I last wore them, two months earlier. They sagged in the back, like a whole herd of cattle had moved out, but I just considered them more comfortable that way. I couldn’t stop fidgeting because that damn under wire bra was pinching me in the most awkward places. I doubted I would ever get accustomed to it again. “It’s such a gorgeous spring day. You’re in for a beautiful ride home. The weather’s supposed to be pretty all weekend…” She always went on and on in such a way, I wondered if I shouldn’t be paid for having to listen to her jabbering away as if she were competing for the world record. Why should that afternoon be different? I supposed it was okay to let her go on like that, as long as she didn’t expect me to participate—that is, more than I had agreed. The doctor had made a deal with me after two miserable months there. If I’d answer one question a day, she’d let me go home for the long Easter weekend. So far, I had lived up to our deal. Of course, until that afternoon they had all been simple questions, such as, “How are you feeling, Delaney?” “Is the medication helping you rest?” “Are you sleeping all right, Delaney?” * * * Delaney, Del-a-ney. It echoed again and again within my disjointed mind. Oh, I suppose it’s a pretty enough name, and I recognized it to be mine, all right. However, when any one called me now I’d start to wonder, Who is this ‘Delaney,’ really? What has she done that’s so terrible? Why is she in this place, alongside all these others? Had a part of them been taken away, too? Is that the reason they’ve lost or misplaced their minds? It’s not as if I couldn’t remember anything at all about Delaney. I knew she was married and had a family. I even remembered what they looked like, and their names: Mama, Kyle, Keith, Craig…and…beyond that, my memories were jumbled and confused. Dr. Robinson said I wrapped myself in a security blanket--at least that’s what she called it. If she said it once, she said it dozens of times, “Delaney, you’ve gone through such trauma. It’s common for the mind to create a security blanket and pull it up to cover the head, shutting out the rest of the world and painful memories. It feels safe and comfortable, but sooner or later we have to pull back the blanket and expose those memories—talk about them so you can get better.”
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About the Book
"Best-Autobiography" and "Author-of-the-Year" in Books&Authors' 2007 InternationalBookContestforLiteraryExcellence. (Manuscript--AtlantaWritersClub Novel-of-the-Year,1996).
"Edgewise" describes a shattered young woman's state-of-mind recovering from post-traumatic-stress-disorder. "An Assignment to Remember" is the inspiring story of triumph over tragedy, healing progression,and prevailing strength of unconditional love.
"Although a work of fiction, "Edgewise: An Assignment To Remember" is the gripping novelization of real life events personally experienced by the author. January, 1984 she discovered her son drowned in their backyard pool. Three weeks after this tragic event she was abducted at gunpoint by two men and sexually assaulted.
The psychological impact of these events left her traumatized and in a deep depression that her husband and their two remaining sons could not help her overcome. She went under the care of a psychiatrist who, after several months of unsuccessful therapy, gave her an assignment--to write about her first memories. The first memory that occurred to her when complying with the assignment was that of her father and herself as a little girl. Over the next several months writing about the people and events in her past and present were to bring her out of her depression and restore an appreciation for her life, her family, and herself. In this novelized account the main character of Delaney is the author's alter ego. The names of all the other characters were changed to protect the innocent--and the not so innocent as well.
A candid and engaging account of both the tragic and the triumphant, "Edgewise: An Assignment To Remember" is deftly written and very highly recommended reading. The first volume of a planned trilogy, "Edgewise" is an inspired tribute to the strength of the human spirit, and of working through a process of recovery to eventually overcome the wounds that life can inflict upon us without warning."
Jim Cox,
About the Author
Author/Speaker/Professional Image Consultant/Former Atlanta Radio Talk-Show Co-Host,aka "The Spirited Southerner" www.SpiritedSouthernAuthor.com.
Atlanta natives, Darlene and Carl are married 40+ years with sons,Kenneth,Cory and Collin.
Mortgage banking since 1989. Certified Image Consultant/President--Imagize! Consulting Services(www.ImagizeConsulting.com) Graduate--London Image Institute/LII Graduate Division Director. Organizations:(AICI)Association of Image Consultants International--(AtlantaChapter Officer); National Association of Women Writers; National Association of Baby BoomerWomen; BoomerWomenSpeak;eWomen Network;Toastmasters International(CTM/Chapter Officer).
Her Mission: Making a positive difference in the lives of others, as she states "the more people's lives I touch in a positive way, the more positive my life becomes."
Her Mantra: Embrace Life with Spirit and Keep Moving Forward!
"Browse the Book" and see reader reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Edgewise-Assignment-Remember-Darlene-Wofford/dp/1425982999/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/02-8738895-2037720?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180656647&sr=8-1
Host of Community Focus, Greg Jordan interviews Darlene Sunday 6/24th, broadcasting trimultaneously on WCNN-680AM/WFOM-1230AM/WALR-ESPN-1340AM.
Listen audio-stream as Gail Cohn interviews Darlene on "Book Talk with Gail" 1640AM: http://www.radiosandysprings.com/podcasts/BookTalkAug15.mp3
BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE**:
(**Portion of Proceeds directed to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston in memory of Collin Lee Wofford, 5/6/81-1/13/84).
July 28--Waldenbooks,CNN Center,DowntownAtlanta
August 4--Waldenbooks,Cumberland Mall, CobbParkway,Marietta,GA
August 11--Borders, Parkway Point,Cobb Parkway,Atlanta August 18--Borders, Perimeter Mall/WalMart ShoppingCntr, Ashford-Dunwoody Rd.,Dunwoody,GA
August 25--Borders, Stonecrest Mall,Lithonia,GA
September 8--Barnes&Noble at Georgia Tech,5thSt&SpringSt.,Atlanta
September 15--Borders, Buckhead Triangle, Peachtree Rd.,Atlanta September 20--Borders,ParkwayPoint,CobbPkwy,Atlanta
September 22--Barnes&Noble, Edgewood RetailCenter, Moreland Ave,Atlanta
September 29--Barnes&Noble, Mall of Georgia, Duluth,GA
October 6--Borders, East-West Connector, Austell,GA
October 13--Barnes&Noble, The Avenue, Snellville,GA
October 20--LII Image Boot Kamp, Embassy Suites,Atlanta
October 27--Barnes&Noble, Cumberland Mall,CobbParkway, Atlanta
November 3--Borders,The Avenue East Cobb, Marietta,GA
November 10--Borders, Arbor Place Mall, Douglasville,GA
November 12--Author Interviewed by Alison Kelly 9:00PM,EST on Contact Talk Radio's 'Knowing Angels' http://www.contacttalkradio.com/hosts/alisonkelly.htm
November 17--Barnes&Noble, The Avenue West Cobb, Dallas Hwy, Marietta,GA
November 18--Wordsmiths Books,Decatur,GA
November 24--Borders, Mall of Georgia, Duluth,GA
December 1--Borders,PerimeterMall/Walmart Shopping Center, Ashford-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody,GA
December 7--Books-A-Million, TheAvenue,Peachtree City,GA.
December 8--Borders,Presidential Commons,ScenicHwy, Snellville,GA
December 14--Borders, TheAvenue East Cobb,Roswell Road,Marietta,GA
December 15--Borders,ParkwayPoint, CobbPkwy/Cumberland,Atlanta
December 22--BooksForLess,Snellville Plaza,Hway 78, Snellville,GA
Email: darlenewofford@thespiritedsoutherner.com
Darlene Wofford's Newsroom Blog: http://community.myfoxatlanta.com/blogs/darlenewofford