{"id":76032,"date":"2024-11-17T21:01:24","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T02:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=76032"},"modified":"2024-11-17T21:04:51","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T02:04:51","slug":"book-feature-what-was-lost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/book-feature-what-was-lost\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Feature:<\/strong> What Was Lost<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Melissa Connelly, Author<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"When a memory from author Melissa Connelly\u2019s past inspired her first novel, she had no idea how timely the story would be upon publication. \u201cI\u2019d been thinking about an old friend who\u2019d been sexually abused by a high school teacher, and wondering how that impacted her adult life,\u201d Connelly, who is in her sixties, says. From there, the story took hold in her and became What Was Lost, a novel that follows its main character Marti at ages 14 and 40.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last few years, social movements have shown a light on sexual abuse,\u201d Connelly says. \u201cPeople are ready to hear survivors\u2019 stories. My protagonist seeks an abortion before Roe v. Wade in a state where it\u2019s illegal. Ironically and sadly, as I was writing this, I had no idea I\u2019d be illuminating not just the past but our current moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many people will find the story meaningful, Connelly notes, including those who have felt victimized, marginalized and \u201cothered\u201d by their community or society, as well as those who enjoy coming-of-age stories, ones that focus on parent-child relationships and stories of how artistic expression gets expressed and crushed in lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis novel is hopeful,\u201d Connelly says. \u201cIt\u2019s about how great change is possible and how people can become strong in their broken places.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Was Lost, October, 2024, fiction, paperback, $17.99, by Melissa Connelly, and published by She Writes Press, Berkeley, CA. Learn more at MelissaConnelly.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When a memory from author Melissa Connelly\u2019s past inspired her first novel, she had no idea how timely the story would be upon publication. . \u201cI\u2019d been thinking about an old friend who\u2019d been sexually abused by a high school teacher, and wondering how that impacted her adult life.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":76035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-literature"],"yoast_head":"\nBook Feature: What Was Lost - The Laurel of Asheville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When a memory from author Melissa Connelly\u2019s past inspired her first novel, she had no idea how timely the story would be upon publication. . \u201cI\u2019d been thinking about an old friend who\u2019d been sexually abused by a high school teacher, and wondering how that impacted her adult life."\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/book-feature-what-was-lost\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Book Feature: What Was Lost - 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