The Last Ten Pounds: One Woman's Journey to Love (by shedding Fear, Anger, Hatred...and Everything In-Between)
by Lina Sage
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GENRE: Memoir
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BLURB:
Shortly after I was born, my family left Vietnam’s strict Communist regime by escaping on a tiny fishing boat in the middle of the night.
Luckily, Canada accepted us as refugees and we were excited for a new beginning. However, any hopes of a brighter future vanished before an abusive alcoholic father who’s repeated physical violence against my mom left me screaming for any stability. Sexual, physical and emotional abuse clouded my childhood years leaving me so damaged that it changed who I was meant to grow up to be.
In my early twenties, I bought a house and converted it into a full blown marijuana grow op.
Soon after, I entered into the world of elite call girls and became one of the most sought after girls in my agency. By my late twenties, I was on top of the world and the proud owner of a multi-million-dollar luxury day spa.
Just when I thought I had it all, I made the ultimate mistake that ended in me losing everything and hitting rock bottom.
I was spiritually broken and in desperate need of healing. I had no choice but to reconcile with my past. This decision brought me down a miraculous journey that opened me up to consciousness and enabled me to exist in the space I do today; that of uninhibited peace.
The Last 10 Pounds: One Woman’s Journey to Love (by shedding Fear, Anger, Hatred…and Everything In-Between) is my personal journey and a testament that it is possible to heal and transform. To be the person you were born to be.
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Excerpt Three:
The frigid temperature and howling wind chill outside paralleled how I felt inside and I questioned how I even got here in the first place. Sure it was the considerable debt that made me feel like I had been thrust into a desperate corner but unknowingly it was so much more than that. The desperation came with the energy of wanting to release all the excruciating pain and anguish that had been building inside me my entire life. Instead of stopping to take a real look at myself, I opted to believe that the world was going to somehow release my pain. That the world was the very reason why I was so shattered. And the world would make amends and heal my wounds. Feeling empty inside impairs your ability to find any self-worth. So when it comes down to selling your body for money, it seemed hasty once the nerves settled.
You’ll be fine. It’s just a job. The oldest job in the world.
I walked up to the unassuming two story grey building that was located on a busy street. I had driven by this building plenty of times and had no idea what businesses it housed. There were no exterior signs nor were there numbers assigned to any of the offices. The only instructions I had was to walk up to the second floor and once at the top of the stairs to turn right and the office was the door to the right. I inhaled a deep breath and knocked gently on the door.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Lina Sage is a writer, speaker, producer and entrepreneur. She is the creator and founder of Chic Spirituality; a movement whose philosophy is to live your life with heightened awareness by surrounding yourself with things you deem beautiful. Lina believes balance of mind, body and soul, is the key to unlocking all things beautiful. Therefore, she enjoys physical activity to maintain a strong body and meditation to calm the mind. But she especially cherishes time spent with her beloved husband and dog because they are what brings her soul the greatest joy. Lina also likes to surround herself with great food and exotic travels around the world.
Social Media Links:
instagram: www.instagram.com/chicsage/?hl=en
Interview with Lina Sage
As a kid did you write or make up stories?
As a kid, I read a lot of books but I didn’t write any. I did however make up plenty of stories. I’ve always had a vivid imagination so I would make up stories about princess’ and kingdoms. I would then act out the parts with my cousins and put on a play. My childhood ambition was to become an artist and then an actress. I guess sub-consciously I just wanted to do something creative. Now that I’m a writer, writing has become my creative outlet.
Where does most of your Character inspiration come from?
My book is a memoir so there was no need for character inspiration. All my characters are real people who have so much personality that I couldn’t have possibly imagined better characters.
Do some qualities of your characters come from real people?
Since my book is a memoir, every character in my book is a real person. Because they are real people, I’m sure reader’s will connect with the characters and maybe even recognize part of themselves in these people.
What was the inspiration for your book?
My memoir, The Last Ten Pounds, started off as a personal project to help me process, deal with and heal from the emotional traumas from my past. It originally started off as nothing more than scribbled notes in my journal. Before long, it had filled an entire book. That’s when I realized that my personal project was so much more than journal entries. It was meant to be shared with the world and maybe along the way help to inspire people in their own personal struggles.
My story is not a story that is uncommon. So many girls and boys are victims of sexual abuse. So many of us grow up with an alcoholic parent. Many of us carry the emotional trauma well into our adult life. We let that emotional trauma dictate who we become - usually that of an angry and hateful person. Anger always leads to unhealthy decisions. My anger led me down a dark path of growing marijuana to escorting to mistreating others. Truth be told, if I had the option of going back in time and having the perfect life, I wouldn’t take it. In all my pain and in all the so called stupid decisions I’ve made, if my life had been perfect, I wouldn’t have been able to walk away with the life experiences I have. I wouldn’t have been able to learn what it means to truly forgive and how when you switch from the mindset of a victim to a survivor, then everything shifts. I wouldn’t have the incredible message of hope to share to the world. Hope was the inspiration for me writing my book. I wanted people to know that there is hope and that transformation is possible in all of us. I feel like memoirs is such an important genre because it speaks of someone’s truth and, in that truth, is where we all connect.
What is your favorite spot to write?
My favorite spot to write is in my office. It sounds kind of boring but I like to write in a quiet space and in silence with only my inner voice to guide me.
What advice would you give budding writers?
I would like to share one of my blog post that talks about creativity. It’s called Conquering Fear with Creativity.
Structure is nothing but stunted growth of fear hiding itself and inhibiting your fullest potential to flourish and create. We are all creative beings. Listen to the flow of the river and you shall see that it doesn’t lay stagnant, instead it moves as a current. Let your inner compass guide you and don’t stay stagnant, even for a second. For the minute you stay stagnant you inhibit your personal growth, and if you do this then the light of your creativity will perish into the darkness.
We are all creative beings. Let’s not forget our purpose and why we are here. Do not let one single person stunt your creativity because they are too consumed in their own darkness to achieve and create. Step into the light. Love, dance, sing, draw, laugh and create. That is our only purpose here. To stunt your creativity is to kill your soul. We are not concrete and abstract. We are artistic and bend whichever way our heart desires. Bend with your heart. Cry with your heart. Do not shut down your heart, for your heart will bleed and beg for mercy. Do not shut down the very reason why you are here. You are here but only momentarily … for a smidgeon of a second. Then your star will be replicated by another. How do you want to exist? Ask yourself that. Do you want to fill up your day consumed in nonsense or open up your heart to feel, create and fulfill the very essence of why you were put here? We all exist for a reason. Go inside and find your existence, bring it to light and let it flourish. You can only do this through creativity.
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Lina will be awarding a $20 azon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
