Overcoming #PTSD With the Help of Reading and Writing – Guest Post, by Lynn Hammond

I have Lynn Hammond here with an inspiring guest post about how she developed a love for reading and eventually writing as an outlet in learning to live and cope with PTSD. Lynn’s message is short yet extremely powerful. Hopefully her post will persuade others to follow her lead in finding a positive outlet of their own. I’m so grateful that Lynn was able to turn to books in aid of her grief and trauma. Lynn currently has one book of her own released and available, and another one coming soon! I personally can’t wait to give them each a read!

(If you’d like to be considered for a guest post visit here!)

Now, let’s hear from Lynn:

May 11, 2011 my life changed.

My father left my house on a motorcycle.

About five minutes later we heard several different siren sounds.

An ambulance went down our road several times with the sirens on. My husband decided he wants to go find out what was going on.

That day I lost my father and I lost myself.

It took two years to recover from his death.

I went to a facility for seven weeks to do Cognitive therapy. These classes help recovery from PTSD. My assignment was “pick one hobby to do”. I picked reading. After seven weeks’ I could read a whole book without distractions.

I have been reading one book every two days. I notice that this helps me relax and imagine myself in the romance stories.

When I started reviewing books on Amazon I notice the authors were sending me Facebook request. I really enjoyed talking with them, playing games on their sites, and just helping them with characters in their book.

I went to my first RT convention in Atlanta, GA. I decided why not try to write. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. I ask several authors about my ideas and they loved it and encouraged me to write.

I like New Adult Romance because it is exciting. At the beginning adult stages, the teenagers are experimenting. They want to be grown-ups. As a teenager once myself you are so full of life and you have so many obstacles to face.

I have a lot of stories to tell and one day I hope to get them all out.

Thanks for Listen,

Lynn Hamond

Lynn’s book Alaskan Love Voyage can be purchased on: Nook, B&N, Kobo, Apple, as well as Kindle!

Alaskan Love Voyage Excerpt:

Otis

I’ve been in this tiny stateroom for one hour. When I got inside the room, there was only one bed. I picked up the phone and called downstairs. They told me that the beds will separate into two full-size ones.

After twenty minutes of getting the beds separated and our luggage put up, I am starving. I decide to call our friends and see where they are. They tell me there weren’t enough tickets left for everyone, so they decided to change their plans. They are going to celebrate Christmas with a road trip closer to home. Great. I guess I should have checked with them first. At least now I can spend as much time with Keegan as I want. I decide to see what she’s up to.

Me: Hey you ready to eat?

Keegan: Yeah, let me get some clothes on, and I’ll meet you at the elevator.

Me: Shoot, I am heading that way to help you. ❤

Keegan: Maybe tonight.

She didn’t say no! I get a feeling that this girl is going to be hard to let go of when our cruise is done. She is beautiful, sassy, smart, and has a body with all the curves a man wants. I push Carl out the door, and we head to meet Keegan.

She is waiting right where she said. She has put on a pair of leggings with Christmas lights on them, and a reindeer sweatshirt. She has short, black Ugg boots on. The whole ensemble is really cute and accentuates her curves. When I get to her, I can smell a vanilla and cinnamon fragrance. She smells like a homemade apple pie. I am suddenly thankful our friends couldn’t make it. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and lean into her.

“Tonight, I am going to eat the best Apple pie,” I whisper in her ear and she shudders. Let the games begin.

We all get on the elevator and push the third-floor button. Carl is staring out the glass window, talking about the hot women he saw while walking in front of the slot machine room. Neither of us is paying any attention to him. Keegan has melted against me, snuggling her head on my chest. All I can think about is getting her in bed and showing her she’s mine.

The elevator stops, and we walk out, heading toward the dining area. Tonight is steak and lobster. There are already people standing at the door, waiting to be seated. After about fifteen minutes, we are taken to a table. We are sitting with other people because the ship must accommodate everyone. As long as no other guy sits with us, I don’t have a problem with it.

The waiter arrives to get our drink orders, and Carl motions for me to look behind me. When I turn around, I see a woman I recognize. She is wearing a little, formfitting, red satin dress and is heading towards our table. She sits down beside me and starts talking to the man on her other side.

I suddenly realize who she is, and my heart skips a beat. Shoot! Breathe. That’s what I need to do. That was my professor’s wife I slept with. She has changed her hair from dark brown to light brown with auburn color streaks. This cannot be happening. I look over to Carl, who is laughing quietly at the table. Keegan has now turned to him and is asking what’s so funny. I can feel the sweat running down my back. I open my phone and text him.

Ding. He hides the phone under the table before looking at it.

Otis: Man, we got to find another table.

Carl: Hell no, this place is packed and I am hungry. Just don’t make eye contact with that woman. If she says anything to you, pretend you didn’t hear her.

Like that’s gonna help. I slide my chair closer to Keegan and wrap my arm around her shoulders. The waiter arrives with our beverages. He takes all our orders and walks off to plug them into the computer.

“So, Keegan, what kind of job do you do?” I ask, keeping my attention on her.

“I am a bartender at Whisky River in Charlotte, North Carolina,” she says.

The woman beside me snorts, and then laughs. This is not making things easier. Keegan opens her mouth to say something, but I close it with my lips. She smiles. Crisis averted for now.

“During the day, I go to school. I am taking engineering classes now, and then I will transfer to do civil engineering,” she continues after our kiss.

The whole table gets quiet, and all eyes are on her. I am shocked that a woman would want to do that kind of work, and it looks like I’m not the only one. But somehow, it only makes her hotter.

“Wow! That is so cool. I think I am in love with you,” Carl beats me to it.

“Really? You’re going into engineering? That’s a man’s job,” the woman beside me says.

She seems really determined to insert herself in our conversation.

“I’m sorry, what is your name?” Keegan asks her.

I am now biting my tongue, praying it’s not Dina, or that she won’t talk about our time together.

“It’s Dina! The man beside you used to call me his angel in bed,” she says.

Shit! Keegan looks pissed. She stands up, throws her napkin down, and excuses herself from the table. I watch her walk off, unable to follow. I am stunned. I don’t know what to do.

“Otis, I am so sorry I said that. I will get up and apologize,” Dina says.

“Hell no, stay away from her and stay away from me,” I say abruptly. Hasn’t she done enough harm already? I push out of my chair and chase after Keegan.

I find her halfway down the hall and start jogging after her. She turns around, and the look on her face is pure anger. Her cheeks are splotchy and her neck is streaked red. She holds her hand up for me to stop where I am.

“Look, I am sorry I got up and left, but what that woman said brought back some memories, and I just lashed out. I had a fiancé; his name was Bishop. I walked into work a little early, one day, and he was having sex with my best friend in the supply closet. He told her she fucked like an angel,” she says, crying.

Now I understand her reaction. I walk over and put my arms around her, and just let her cry. I don’t understand why a man would want to cheat on her. I have known her for a day, and I want to keep her forever.

After a few minutes, she pulls away and wipes her eyes. “I am so sorry I fussed at you. It is not your fault, what my ex did. What you did, with that woman in there, is not my business.”

“That happened months ago, and I don’t really want to talk about it. I was being a punk back then, and I used her to get a good grade in school,” I say, hoping this is the end of it.

As we turn to leave, we hear Carl calling our names. He runs up, out of breath, bending down with his hands on his knees. You would think he ran a marathon.

“Hey, guys, were you going to leave me in there, with those crazy people? Hey, there is a pub restaurant one floor up. Let’s go try the Ultimate Skillet burger,” he says.

Why not? It’s not like we’re going back in there anyway, and we’re still hungry. I grab Keegan’s hand, and we head towards the elevator.

We make it to this place, on the next level, called The Salty Dog. We head in and take a seat at

Lynn also has a new book coming soon!

A bit more about Lynn Hammond:

Lynn Hammond works fulltime as a LPN but writes at night. She lives in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She is a RWA member. She loves to make children’s tutu in her spare time. Every night before bed she takes time to read. She loves romance, paranormal romance, and erotica. She is a proud mother of three beautiful girls, two beautiful grandbabies, two boxer pups, two lizards, four ducks, and love spending time with her husband riding in her father’s old corvette. She is a new author writing New Adult romance and would love to hear for readers. You can contact her by email, lynnhammondauthor@gmail.com. To find out more, please visit her face book page at https://www.facebook.com/lynnhammond.10888.