Nonfiction
Date Published: March 3, 2025
Publisher: MindStir Media
Childhood trauma leads to perseverance and personal growth in this
empowering memoir.
Born into a world shrouded by multi-generational cycles of abuse and child
marriages, Donna Simmons navigates a harrowing landscape of pain and
betrayal, detailing the challenges that devastated her early years but
ultimately did not define the person she became.
Through poignant storytelling, she shares both moments of despair and the
small victories that fueled her resilience. Each chapter reveals the
transformative process of healing and self-discovery, touching on the
importance of embracing nature, finding solace in creativity, and connecting
with a community. Ashes to Flame recounts a powerful, deeply personal, and
transformative journey from the ashes of childhood trauma to the vibrant
light of purpose.
Interview
My journey as an author, including the writing processes.
Writing my memoir was a ten year process filled with profound grief, excruciating healing, and an encountering of my own inner innocence that was not safe to experience as a child. Writing my memoir meant owning my truth; the truth about the abuse that impacted me and the truth about the ways I, in turn, became the abuser to myself. This decade of healing through writing meant unraveling shame that was not mine to carry. It meant unveiling and accepting my lovability and personal power as an embodiment of self worth instead of mourning the lack of validation from others.
Fragments of memory that I was willing to acknowledge became my first companions in the first pages that unfolded. This evolved as what could only be described as time travel, reaching back to my younger, terrified, ashamed parts and giving them the microphone to share their story. Each time different versions of my inner child spoke, they got stronger. They got to experience understanding and compassion for the first time. And in the flames of the intensity of their anger, sorrow, and despair came an unexpected peace, a reconciliation, a brilliant life filled path towards a future beholding promise for the first time.
I wrote in nature, all the elements affirming signs I was on the right path. I wrote in my bedroom, reflecting on motherhood and my imperfections I gradually tempered and grew from. I wrote in my car, pressing my pen hard into the pages of my journal to make an indentation when the ink threatened to dry up. I wrote in Washington D.C. on my laptop, the call to advocacy a siren song I could feel reverberating in my bones.
I had always received praise for my writing in school, and I took great pride in my ability to engage the reader in a way that stirred their heart as well as their mind. But writing my memoir was a different kind of mission; it became an earthly purpose driven by the spark of survival in the innermost part of my soul. Part of the reconciliation of my trauma was the realization that while I was given darkness and pain by external forces, I also was in possession of inner skills and strengths that would help my purpose unfold and be delivered to those who needed it.
Writing saved me, molded me, made me face parts of myself I fought to dismiss. It was transformative. And in that transformation came the knowledge that, as a survivor, my responsibility was now to help others navigate their way through the dust of ash to uncover the spark that will bring their light to life.
About the Book
My memoir is a narrative of survival of child abuse, despite the unjust systems that I encountered at every turn. I chose to detail some horrific experiences because it’s important for people to realize how vulnerable early child abuse makes one to grooming, continued abuse, and exploitation. These harms are directly intersected with generational poverty, substance abuse, and chronic health conditions. To address these problems in society, we must start with looking at the systems and laws that perpetuate these issues and make progress to change them so children can live a life they do not have to recover from. My memoir connects the dots between abuse and tragedy, healing and finding purpose in pain, and channeling that purpose into creating a better, more just world for our upcoming and future generations.
Message for my readers
The impact of trauma does not have to be a life sentence; survivors have the power within to transform their pain into a superpower, healing themselves, their families, and their communities. My wish is for those who feel a longing to heal to find connection within my story and know they are not alone wherever they are on their healing journey.
About the Author
My name is Donna Simmons, and I’m a wife, mother, author, and avid
advocate for breaking cycles of generational trauma and mental health
recovery. As a Governor appointed member of the Kentucky Juvenile
Justice Advisory Board and member of the Bakhita Empowerment Initiative
Advisory Board, I work with public servants and providers across the state
to support a reduction in juvenile system involvement and strengthening
protective factors for high risk youth. My passion for this work comes
from my direct experience as a child abuse survivor, involvement in a
behavioral health facility when I was 14, and resulting grooming and
exploitation by a 29 year old mental health professional who I was married
off to as a child.
In my healing journey, I have recognized that true trauma recovery can only
occur when we are willing to examine the generational cycles that keeps us
bound in harmful patterns. My mission is to help others transform
their trauma into purpose so they can break these cycles and reach their
full potential as individuals and parents.
Contact Links
Website
Facebook
Instagram- @transformingashes2flame
TikTok- @ashestoflame
Purchase Link
Amazon
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