BIO:
Sue Julsen was born in Dallas, Texas. Kidnapped when she was three years old, she began her writing career as a means of escape from the emotional scars and repetitive nightmares from her childhood.
She started her first book, a sci-fi, in grade school. She only had one more chapter to write when her aunt found the manuscript hidden in the closet. Without reading it, she called it garbage, a waste of time and paper, then forced Sue to watch as she tore it up and threw it in the trash.
Giving up writing until she had left home at 18, Sue started writing poetry, then wrote her first book, a memoir about her life after the kidnapping. Not stopping there, she wrote two other books in this series, and a book of poetry that exposes feelings never shared before.
She is currently working on a series of short stories, and has another memoir planned that will continue her story. Today she lives in Nevada with her husband, two dogs, a cat and a bird. She enjoys the outdoors, reading and writing.
FROM MY BLOG:
I am the author of the bestselling Bitter Memories series, but there is nothing sensational about my story. Any child who has suffered at the hands of another will know this. My abuse was extreme, but it doesn’t take extreme to mess up a kid. Society tries to sweep child abuse under the rug. Society doesn’t want to admit that children are hurt in those ways, usually by a person claiming to love them.
Any way you want to look at it: child abuse is still abuse. Whether that abuse is physical, mental and/or sexual, the feelings are the same. The hurt is the same. The child thinks what happened was their fault. They think they are “bad” and that’s why those things happened. They are told not to tell anyone about those things that were done to them. They are sometimes told that no one will believe them, or that their abuser will hurt a sibling, a mother, or someone else in the family. There are so many different ways an abuser keeps the child quiet. An abuser will say and do anything necessary to ensure their acts are never revealed.
But, the child is innocent! The child is the victim! The child is too afraid to tell anyone! It’s people like me, and so many more who have found the courage, usually long after the abuse happened, that they can tell their story of abuse.
Of course, no one likes to hear about a child being abused, but people, it happens! Every single day a child abuser strikes, and another innocent child has to suffer! By telling my story, and by all the other survivors of child abuse telling their story, can this epidemic be stopped!
Please! Don’t be one of those who buries your head in the sand. Don’t sweep child abuse under the rug. Read our stories. Feel our pain, our sorrow with us as you read. Then, step up and help us spread the word that child abuse does exist. Step up by telling others about our stories. We need more and more people to care! We need more and more people to help us put an end to the abuse. Our children depend on all the good people in the world to help them.
Child abuse, neglect and/or abduction are national epidemics. Sweeping it under the rug, or choosing to believe it doesn’t happen, won’t make it go away, nor does it change statistics: (1) Almost five children die daily from abuse in the United States. (2) Three million abuse reports—physical, emotional, sexual and/or neglect—are made every year. (3) It’s estimated nearly 10 million cases will go unreported. (4) It’s estimated 60 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse live in America today. (5) Girls are three times more likely to be sexually abused than boys, however, boys have a greater risk of emotional neglect and serious injury than girls.
MY PERSONAL STORY:
Starting at age three, my life was filled with sorrow, neglect and abuse—a life no child should ever experience. Hurt time and again by people who claimed to love me, I grew up in the shadow of fear, uncertainty and hate. I lived a life on the run, starving, abused and terrified.
My first book that started the series, Bitter Memories: A Memoir of Heartache & Survival,took 40-plus years to complete. Each time I sat down to write, the memories became overwhelming and I couldn’t continue. For years I lived a life of hurt and overwhelming sorrow. Deep down I always knew I needed to tell what happened. I needed to admit I was a survivor of child abuse. I needed to find a path toward healing my shame. Yes, shame. I blamed myself for what happened. I felt ashamed and dirty. I felt I was a “bad” kid and that’s why Daddy, his brother and so many more did those things to me. The things he did to me…things he allowed others to do to me, were unforgivable. Although unnerving, Bitter Memories is a gripping account of the extremes a child can undergo—and survive. Written from the heart, taking on a life of its own, I relived those memories of heartache, sadness, extreme hunger, and intense fear in hopes of helping other adult survivors find a path toward healing their “hidden” scars. My story deals with explosive topics that former child victims of mental, physical, and sexual violence will understand.
MY BOOKS:
1) Bitter Memories: A Memoir of Heartache & Survival (non-fiction) is written like a novel for easy reading as I begin the true story of my life after being kidnapped by my father. NOTE: Bitter Memories is not a cozy, feel-good book. It is a true story of extreme and horrific child abuse and the will to survive.
2) Trophy Murders (creative non-fiction/crime fiction) mixes fiction with truth for an action-packed crime story as I take you further on the journey of true events after going to live with Uncle Henry (the cop) and his heavy-handed wife, Olivia. A life I wouldn’t wish on any kid.
3) Cutter's Revenge (psychological thriller/crime fiction) mixes about five percent truth with a lot of suspenseful fiction. However, anyone who’s read the other two books will know truth from fiction instantly.
4)From The Heart: A Collection of Poems and Stories (non-fiction) is a collection of fifteen inspirational poems from events in my life. It also includes short stories that inspired the writing of each poem. Starting with a little background, then moving into my first poem written at age nine after the death of my mother, I expose feelings I never shared with anyone before now.
5)The Rose: A Tale of Fantasy (fantasy) is a heartwarming story of a young girl and the animals she loves. Hollymae talks to animals, but she also has special powers that she isn't even aware of yet. Soarbrae is her faithful companion, also with special powers, and Soarwell is Soarbrae's mother who has been dead for five years, brought back to life, to assist Hollymae and the animals of the forest in her quest.
The Rose, a book for kids of all ages, is a story of magic with many special animals to bring happiness to your heart. NOTE: The Rose is a very special book for me because I used many of the same names from the sci-fi I started writing as a kid. The same sci-fi my aunt found hidden in my closet, called it garbage, a waste of time and paper, and then tore it up in front of me. She didn’t bother to read it! But, here, using their names, those special characters live again!
VISIT MY WEBSITE FOR ALL MY BOOKS, WITH LINKS TO AMAZON
AUTHOR/FAN PAGES ON FACEBOOK
LINK TO MY BLOG
