If Roses Were Blue is a smile for the survivor's soul!
A multiple award-winning book (6 awards and honors, so far!) including the 2025 Independent Author Network (IAN) Book of the Year Award FINALIST in Juvenile Fiction.
SUMMARY: Chris, a college student, tells her story to a small group of children, including one whom she suspects is being abused. Gently, Chris takes the reader back to her eleventh year and the day she decided to get away from her abusive home. She runs to the only place she feels safe - the woods - where she meets a lady of light, who offers a new perspective. Soon she meets Gus, a young boy from a different background but experiencing the same feelings, who becomes her partner in adventure in the rescue of a stolen dog (twice!) and the thieves' capture. Through this friendship, their sense of trust and love is encouraged rather than lost to circumstances beyond their control. At the end of the story, the children pose questions to the adult Chris -- the same questions readers would ask about the events and her choices. A More from the Author section offers behind-the-story insight into the characters, places, and illustrations, plus helpful resources for children and adults.
If Roses Were Blue fills the void of abuse-focused material with an adventure story that reminds victims they are worthy and lovable just as they are and regardless of how they have been treated. Through the adult Chris, the concept of worthiness is reinforced by showing that the abuse does end, there are people who care enough to help, and, with that, the potential for a very bright future. It's a much needed perspective on a sensitive issue.
Although a work of fiction, this story is based on the author's experience of abuse, healing, and child advocacy.
