“Incredible…important…so much heart.”
–Nikki Giovanni
“Beautifully written, necessary…”
—Lee Smith
“A harrowing portrait of the past’s ability to haunt the present.”
–Publisher’s Weekly
“Collateral Damage: The Mental Health Issues Facing Children of Veterans.” CBS Sunday Morning. March 16, 2014.
“Journeying Home to Tell My Truth”
CNN, December 8, 2012
“Child of PTSD: Book Offers First-hand Account of 2nd-generation Trauma”
Canada AM, March 13, 2014
I write about (and for) those who have been overlooked, for I believe everyone deserves to see themselves in a story.
My first book, Thirty Days with My Father: Finding Peace from Wartime PTSD (HCI Books, 2012) is the story of my family’s journey with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after my father returned home from the Vietnam War. At its core, it’s a story of the complicated relationship between father and daughter. Yet it is also about how war trauma can be passed from generation to generation. I hope it helps give voice to a group of people who are often forgotten when a soldier returns home from war: the children of veterans.
Christal’s Blog
Why Picture Books?
Thus far, my time as a writer has been spent exclusively in the world of adult nonfiction, primarily memoirs. But I've made a switch. I've discovered a new love: children's picture books. In truth, I've always known I would eventually arrive at this place. I just didn't expect it to take so long. Why picture …