New Novel Available
I Never Do This
“LaDene’s voice propels us as she recounts her life of family dysfunction, religious fundamentalism, abuse, and how we can’t escape the darker impulses of family even when we think we’ve broken from them. …we witness how fast a life can unravel from a chance encounter. What I love is that the book starts with the confession of a crime, and suspense lies in how the heroine ended up there. For me, this makes it more compelling than the classic mystery or thriller. This suspense holds us to the end we thought we saw coming, but didn’t.”
“I will tell all in full truth and will hold nothing back to protect myself from the eyes of the law…I’m the only one who can tell it all.” —In country noir style, we hear the unforgettable voice of a young woman, LaDene Faye Howell, who finds herself in police custody recounting her story after her paroled cousin Bobbie Frank appears and engages her in a crime spree. LaDene Faye Howell grew up in the small town of Devola on an oxbow of the Muskingum River in southeast Ohio. Her conservative family is deeply religious, although another branch of the Howell clan are notorious criminals. When one of her outlaw relatives returns from prison, LaDene hopes the two of them may share an evening of fun, or even a spark of romance. Instead, Bobby Frank embroils her in kidnapping their old high school principal.
“I will tell all in full truth and will hold nothing back to protect myself from the eyes of the law…I’m the only one who can tell it all.” —In country noir style, we hear the unforgettable voice of a young woman, LaDene Faye Howell, who finds herself in police custody recounting her story after her paroled cousin Bobbie Frank appears and engages her in a crime spree. LaDene Faye Howell grew up in the small town of Devola on an oxbow of the Muskingum River in southeast Ohio. Her conservative family is deeply religious, although another branch of the Howell clan are notorious criminals. When one of her outlaw relatives returns from prison, LaDene hopes the two of them may share an evening of fun, or even a spark of romance. Instead, Bobby Frank embroils her in kidnapping their old high school principal.
“Narrated with a noirish sensibility, the novel follows a 27-year-old woman named LaDene Faye Howell as she recounts the tale of how and why she’s currently in police custody. LaDene’s narration is full of personality and flair. Miller has crafted a compelling cast of characters, from LaDene’s churchgoing family to her pregnant classmates at New Dawn Ministry to the overbearing faculty who ruthlessly rule the school. Even the humorous description of the crimes she committed with Bobby is rendered in engaging detail. Everyone from casual readers to the staunchest of mystery fans will find something to enjoy in this quick—and quick-witted—read.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Loved it. Miller has written a masterful novel, inhabited by a voice so fearless and compassionate, urgent and heartland-true, that its music and message stay with you long, long after the final page. Indeed, I Never Do This is one of those rare books that makes you want to read it all over again, so compelling and beautifully limned are the characters.”—Brandon R. Schrand, author of The Enders Hotel, Works Cited, and Psychiana Man
To Boldly Go: Essays for the turning years
A summer of lush flowers and perfect weather. Girls dancing on a moonlit field. A cold house overgrown with abandoned gardens. These images come together in Anesa Miller’s To Boldly Go, which explores the “turning years” of our new century from both a personal and a universal perspective. The author reveals the intimate pains of anger and loss at the death of her estranged father, but looks beyond emotional damages toward the wider horizon of environmental issues, runaway technology, and the implications of 9/11. This journey toward healing and hope traverses the landscape of memory with an eye for a better future.
“These are provocative and eloquent essays, fierce meditations on our human capacities and frailties, the nature of memory, acts of forgiveness. Anesa Miller summons our better angels and makes firm reckonings with the devil, casting it away. A stunning collection.”– Tiffany Midge author of The Woman Who Married a Bear (Salt Publishing) and Outlaws, Renegades and Saints; Diary of a Mixed-up Halfbreed (Greenfield Review Press)
“The world is blessed to have creative souls who write out of a need to make sense of what we experience when senseless things happen. Anesa is one of those people. …These essays reflect the healing of a fine poetic mind. They explore the inner life of an exceptional artist, intertwined with the history of our times, the lives of her family and friends, some of whom brought her joy, some misery. …Her moving thoughts come as a revelation…”– From the Foreword by Jaak Panksepp author of The Archeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions (W. W. Norton & Company)Read all reviews for To Boldly Go. Essays for the Turning Years
A Road Beyond Loss
Three Cycles of Poems & an Epilogue
A Road Beyond Loss: Three Cycles of Poems & an Epilogue presents a journey into the depths of grief—specifically, the loss of a beloved child— and through the pain of failed love. Readers emerge out the far side of the healing process into a life renewed. Derived from personal experience, these poems offer a compassionate, intimate view of emotional upheaval, as well as survivorship.
Reviews
“This book is beautifully done. I admire the musical and descriptive qualities, the moving refrains. Illustrations enhance the poetry.”— Michael Mott, renowned poet
“These poems are dazzling in their intense portrayal of grief’s inner core, and the organic process of recovery.”— Dr. Betty Schnur-Donskoy, M.D.
Product details
- Publisher : The Memorial Foundation for Lost Children (January 1, 1995)
- Paperback : 64 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0964764202
- ISBN-13 : 978-0964764200
A Road Beyond Loss is available exclusively via PayPal for $10 US postage paid.
Music
Song Cycles for Healing
Music Therapist Jane Click became a composer on the inspiration from Anesa’s poetry. Her CD and musical score contain 21 songs, including parts for one or two voices and piano. Some also include flute and percussion.
“Lovely and deeply spiritual” —Kathy DiMeglio, KALLIOPE Magazine
Click here to read about the origins of Jane’s music and to hear samples from the CD.
Packages
A Road Beyond Loss (print book) and CD – $18
A Road Beyond Loss (print book), CD, and musical score. – $36