After Jewel Diamond, 28, wakes in the ER with no memory of the trauma that brought her there, she must face the many ways her life will change. Bearing a hideous scar on her cheek that affects her speech, Jewel’s instinct is to isolate and withdraw into her sadness. As memories of the incident that caused her concussion and disfigurement begin to return, Jewel is drawn into the quest to discover who hurt her—the same men who killed a defenseless disabled woman on the bus with her that day.
"DARE" is an emotional fiction that follows Jewel as she heals from physical wounds and the psychological impact of being the victim of an assault. However, her path is not straight or simple. When the legal system fails her, Jewel confronts the nature of justice, actions, and consequences, wondering if sometimes what’s wrong is also right.
"Forks & Knives" is about the what-ifs we face at various crossroads in our lives. Could our stories be different if we’d said something else, done something different? It’s common to wonder what might have happened if we’d taken a different fork in the road.
When Kat Torrington discovers the depth of her husband Eric’s secret drinking problem, she finds herself at a crossroads: Should she stay or go? Married three years with their first child on the way, the couple faces alcoholism and recovery with equal parts determination and failure.
As various forks appear, Kat explores her choices and the consequences of them—some harrowing, others empowering, but all potentially life-changing.
If you’ve ever wondered what might have happened “if only,” this story will entice you to reconsider those critical forks in your own life. No doubt, like knives, some of them cut deep.
A bold, raw telling of age-old issues of addiction, trust, honesty, communication, boundaries and how to make a marriage work. Wahlfeldt knows how to draw you in and keep you there, wanting more. I couldn't put the book down.
- Julie E.I actually closed down Netflix in order to go to bed early and read the astonishing story.
- Rick G[The author] deftly weaves alternative paths . . . exploring existential moments where each of us asks ‘But what if I...?’ In doing so, she also educates the reader on the reality of loving an addict with all its colliding emotions.
- TLF.Sign up for my mailing list to unlock a sneak peek of "DARE," my sophomore novel. Don't miss out on the chance to dive into the story before the world does!
Made with love by structure & heart studios
"Forks & Knives" was born as part of a long journal entry, a cathartic release. In 2003, despite being happily married to my second husband, insomnia visited me regularly. My brain pushed and pulled, working through hurtful and confusing memories that defined the rocky journey of my first marriage and its ultimate demise. The finished document sat inside my computer, unread, for seventeen years.
When I retired in 2021, I revisited the document, hesitantly. “Is this worth reworking into a novel? Would anyone care about this?” I asked my best friend, my husband Stephen, to read it. Bonus for me: He taught American literature for more than twenty-five years (!), so I knew I could trust his opinion. Happily, he confirmed, “Yes, it’s good. You should work on it.” Then he introduced me to Brian Kaufman (www.authorbriankaufman.com) and Penpointers, the Northern Colorado writer’s group that Stephen had belonged to years before I met him. Over the next year and a half, my self-focused monologue transformed into a work of fiction that would appeal to people outside my immediate circle of friends and family. At least that’s my hope.
Whenever I mention what this book is about, I'm invariably met with, "Yeah, my mom was a drinker," or "My son was sober for a while, but . . ." There are millions of stories like mine out there -- people who have loved/lived with alcoholics/addicts and struggled to hold on through the pain. But there are ways we can help and support those we love without losing ourselves. This novel alone can't help those still working through those dark days, but maybe some of the resources here can play a role.
