Books Published in 2025

 As an author, I know how important it is to keep having new books published in order to keep readers interested in my books. Fortunately this year, in spite of only having a few books released, I have managed to keep that interest with each book’s publication. Promotion of the books has gone well; there have been many likes, shares, and comments from people saying they bought or will buy the book. I am very relieved and extremely grateful to everyone who has stayed interested in my books. THANK YOU!

 

And thank you for your continued support in spite of this low level of production this year. I was supposed to have three other books released this year – two short story collections and a children’s book – but that didn’t happen. This was not because of any laziness or neglect on my part; that is just how it happened. Hopefully, all three of these books will be published in the new year. One of my self-published children’s books will be republished through the new division of Twisted Dreams Press in January, and another children’s book, the second one in this series, is scheduled for a January release. 

 

I had three books published this year, and all three of them were from the same publisher. (Thank you, Crystal!) I am VERY grateful that two of them especially did finally see publication; these two particular books were rejected many times for a number of years. So I was very happy to finally see Curse of the Blood Witch and Noiseless achieve the status of publication. They went through many rounds of revision over those years!

 

As to my other poetry book, 3 A.M. Poetry, it was written several years ago. I’d recently dug it out, typed ALL of those poems up (I wrote those poems during my notebook writing days!) and polished them. Then I asked my UK publisher if she was interested in the manuscript and she said yes, so I sent it off. These poems are a reflection of the kind of life I lived growing up, as well as from young adulthood, and it was very cathartic to go over these poems again, relive those memories, and get them into print. What a surprisingly healing experience that was!

 

There are quite a few books I have scheduled for publication next year, as well as many more to submit. I do know I should have more than three books published in 2026. And I start writing a brand-new nonfiction book in January. Stay tuned!

 

Here are my books that were published in 2025:

 

 

Curse of the Blood Witch

Kaya Morgan’s bad day gets worse after she is attacked by a vagrant who leaves a bite on her neck.

 

Her world is turned upside-down when she wakes up with a sensitivity to light and strange powers.

 

Soon she is caught up in a life of hungering for blood while also struggling to let go of everything that made her human.

 

Logan O’Boyle is a 300-year-old Irish vampire willing to guide Kaya on her journey, but once it is revealed that she is not just any vampire but one cursed by the blood of a woman who existed centuries ago.

 

Everything changes and Kaya must accept being a vampire or die.

 

Buy link

 

 

3 A.M. Poetry

Survivors of an abusive childhood know just how hard it can be to break free from their past.

 

Memories linger.

 

The anger remains. Trauma and nightmares sometimes take hold, pulling the survivor right back into the hellish world they escaped from. Add to this the mental health issues they must cope with, such as sleeping disorders, anxiety, panic disorder, suicide ideation, and depression. Then throw in addiction for good measure.

 

All of these elements can make life a living hell for anyone who has survived such trauma. It creates a nightmare that may never end. The poems in this book reflect battles the author has had to fight, then and now.

 

Some of these battles are an ongoing torment that could make the dangers of mental health disorders seem like a welcoming reprieve from the neverending torment they must learn to live with.

 

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Noiseless

Individuals living with deafness have existed for millennia, yet in today's world, we remain undervalued, misunderstood, discriminated against, stereotyped and underrepresented.

 

We constantly run into communication barriers, discrimination, ableism and misconceptions. For many of us in the Deaf community, we struggle with social isolation, finding it hard to fit in and be included in a world that prioritizes the ability to hear. The poems in “Noiseless” capture various aspects of what it's like to live with deafness.

 

These poems hope to show that deafness is not the tragedy which the hearing world claims it to be. Thanks to greater awareness of the Deaf community, Deaf culture, and Deaf-focused education, individuals who are deaf are at long last finally finding their place in the world, no matter what barriers remain.

 

We still have a long way to go, but together we can make society a more Deaf-friendly place to be.

 

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I Wrote About My Trauma to Tell My Story, Not to Hurt Anyone

 I don’t want to hurt anyone. Seriously. I really don’t. I may unintentionally offend strangers when I refuse to answer their messages that only say “Hello” or “Hey there, beautiful,” but my hurting people is NOT intentional. I made this very clear in a post on my Facebook author page when, after one person’s actions inspired a story idea and that person later passed away, I DO NOT want to hurt people with my writing.

 

That’s not what my writing is for.

 

Although what I write may bring up painful memories for people. But that is not my intention with my writing.

 

It’s hard to write about trauma and harder still to write about horrible things from our past. I once started a trauma journal, but after two writing episodes, I was done. I couldn’t write more.

 

But now I can, and I did.

 

I wrote about some horrible things from my past in my recent poetry book, 3 A.M. Poetry. 

 

 

I had already written about similar topics in my poetry chapbook, The House That Madness Built. 

 

 

 The only difference is that 3 A.M. goes deeper and explores the darker regions of my pain and depression. It also explores my addiction (to alcohol) and the struggles with mental health issues that resulted from the extensive trauma. It’s more personal. The House that Madness Built mainly focuses on the dysfunctional family dynamics I grew up with.

 

I only wrote about all this because it’s my story to tell. That is something that happened in my past and I felt it was time to step forward and talk about it. If people want to know about the kind of life I have had, all they need to do is read my poems, my blog posts, my essay collection and, at some point, my memoir.

 

But I don’t write all of that stuff as a way of hurting someone. That is NOT my intention at all. I only write about it because it is my story to tell, my experiences, and something that I personally have a right to talk about and share.

 

You know, I’m not going to be here forever. After I’m gone, all that’s left are the words I have written. And since people like to make up a lot of stories about me or assume a lot of bullshit about me, then I feel compelled to tell MY story.

 

The poems in those books are all things I have gone through. My experiences and my feelings. This was me showing a side of myself I was too scared to talk about in the past. This was me revealing why my alcoholism was so bad and why it lasted for so long. What drove me to drink in the first place was that everybody in my family drank, so naturally I started drinking too. But then my trauma made it worse.

 

I am no longer in that prison anymore, though. Sure, sometimes the trauma hits me hard, but for the most part, I am happy with my life now. I am no longer an alcoholic and I no longer want to take my own life.

 

I don’t want pity for what I have gone through, either. I only want to have my story told. I want people to understand why I am the way I am, and where I came from. (Sadly, many people have assumed that because of my burns or disabilities, I have had it easy and was treated with pity or special privileges when I was growing up. Uh, no!)

 

Hopefully, the act of writing about my trauma will give other people who have been through something similar the strength to share their stories too. We should not keep these things bottled up or hidden away. Our stories need to be told and out in plain sight.

 

And I want people to know that the nightmare they are going through WILL come to an end at some point. I did not succeed in trying to take my life and I am grateful for that every single day. Life got better.

 

It DOES get better. We just have to hold on and try to make it through. It’s worth it to hold on. I promise.

 

I hope that is what people will take away from this book after they read it. That is why I ended the book with two poems that offered hope, because there IS hope. The hell I was in did not last forever for me and it won’t last forever for anyone else going through something similar, either.

 

So hold on, because your future is worth it.

Turning Pain into Poetry

 

 

There are a lot of ways to write about our pain and trauma. Most people usually write about it in a journal or, if they don’t mind having an audience, on a blog. I have done both of these in the past, as well as writing about my pain and trauma in a personal essay. Sometimes I turned it into something I used in a story.

 

One other way I put my pain into words, however, is by writing about it in my poetry.

 

I started writing poetry at a young age, so I have been writing it for a very long time. Some days, poetry is all I write. I have written so much poetry over the years that crafting poems is a second nature for me.

 

Even so, putting my pain and trauma into verse is not something that I do very often. I’d rather forget about my pain and trauma than write about it, though one of my recent ebooks shared what I learned about writing about our trauma. In fact, it is that knowledge alone that helped guide me towards writing about my pain and trauma in a journal.

 

But, put it into poetry? That’s a little different.

 

When I wrote the poems in my new poetry book, The House That Madness Built, I did not write about what happened in graphic terms or write about it directly.

 

For the most part, I focused on how those experiences affected me. What they made me feel. My reactions and observations.

 

The hardest poem for me to write, though, was the one about when I discovered my cat had been murdered. My younger brother had put her into the dryer. I spent all day calling for her and looking for her. Then my brother told me to check the laundry in the dryer. I did, figuring I could use a break from looking for my cat. I opened the dryer door and the first thing I pulled out was my dead cat. Through my screams and tears, I saw my younger brother smiling.

 

This was not the only trauma I endured because of him, but it was extremely difficult for me to write about it. But after I wrote that poem, I felt like my cat’s death will not be forgotten. In a way, this poem was her cry over the injustice of what was done to her. And my cry over how very wrong it all was.

 

Putting memories into words have that kind of power. They can unburden us from our pain. They can serve as a voice we are unable to find or speak with ourselves. And they can help set us free from all of it.

 

Putting our painful experiences into poems can help us see them in a new light. That’s what kind of result I got out of this. Not all poetry is flowery or purple prose. Not all poetry is happy and inspirational. There are some poems out there written about sad topics in history, as well as painful experiences people go through. And for some people, putting their pain and trauma into a poem is the only way they can write about it.

 

By putting all of that pain into a book and telling my story of having survived all those things, it is like walking free into the future. I don’t carry those burdens around anymore; they now live within the pages of my poetry book. This book that tells the story of some of the darkest chapters of my life.

 

So why did I choose to have it published? There are MANY other poems I wrote about painful experiences which I keep packed away. There are MANY essays I wrote during hard times that won’t ever see print.

 

Well, I chose to move forward with getting these poems published because I wanted my story in print. I want it out there. It is also a good way for me to prepare for when my memoir, which also contains some other painful experiences, will be published as well. This is just another step I am taking in sharing my pain and trauma in a public platform. Everyone has the right to tell their stories. These are some of mine.

 

I am grateful to Written Tales for publishing my book. And thank you, Kevin Saitta, for editing the poems and putting it all together into a book I am happy with. It helped me to heal. And just as my story had a happy ending, I hope that it will let others know that no matter how dark things are now, there is a light at the end.

 

Here is the blurb:

 

Within the pages of this chapbook, you will delve into the profound and harrowing journey of author Dawn Colclasure. Her collection of confessional poems is a reflection of the darkest chapters of her life. Dawn's narrative unfolds from the haunting echoes of a turbulent childhood marred by abuse and violence to the heart-wrenching betrayal of trust through sexual assault. Through her verses, you will bear witness to the moments when hopelessness eclipsed the possibility of a brighter future, prompting her to grapple with thoughts of self-harm. As a survivor of severe burns, Dawn endured relentless bullying and painful rejection, ultimately leading to a profound sense of low self-esteem, self-hatred, and the suffocating embrace of depression.

 

"The House That Madness Built" stands as a testament to a life entrenched in turmoil, a life that spiraled into the depths of alcoholism and despair. Yet, it is also a story of resilience, redemption, and the stark moment of reckoning when Dawn was forced to confront her addictions. This collection takes you on an exploration of her choices between life and death, a profound and transformative odyssey that paints a striking portrait of the human spirit's enduring will to survive.

 

Here is the buy link

From Horrifying Experience to Shattered Story: Lost Soul is the AU of a Painful Past

 

Writing helps us to heal. In some cases, it can help us to catch a glimpse of what life would have been like if we had taken an alternative path while enduring a harsh experience. In my case, my new novelette is a look into what my life would have likely turned out to be like if I had taken that path.

 

Several years ago, I started writing a story. What I didn’t know at the time was that I was writing an AU story about a painful experience from my past. In the story, my character ran away from home to escape an abusive father and a brother that was molesting her. What happened to my character while she was out on the streets was much worse. Unfortunately, I never finished writing the story; I got stuck and stayed stuck for a long time. Then all thirty-one chapters I wrote vanished when a virus wiped out all of my files.

 

But the story never left me, and the character has always lingered in my mind ever since.

 

I eventually decided to try writing this story again – except with major changes. The friend in the new story is female, not male. And a couple of siblings were added, in addition to a mother. In the old story, I wrote many chapters of how my character was sexually abused. In the new story, it is not so broadly written about.

 

Another change is that the new story is A LOT shorter. In the old story, I wrote about the hardships my character endured while she was out on the streets. In the new story, I included only one thing – how she is abducted and kept in a sex trafficking ring – and the rest of what happened to her later is implied at the end.

 

It was difficult for me to write the new story. I had endured the same home life situation as my character, except I was not the only one responsible for meals and chores. I also changed things about the mother, since I did not want this fictional mother to be based on my real mother. (My real mother treated me better than the fictional mother, although she unfortunately did not interfere when my dad was violent or physically abusive.) I used to have nightmares about the abuse, and especially about my dad and my younger brother being so aggressive and threatening. I also had panic attacks. However, I did eventually make peace with that part of my past. I forgave my dad and I eventually found the strength and the courage to forgive my younger brother as well.

 

Even so, putting those past events into words was not easy. And as a mother, I was screaming in protest over the horrible things that happened to my 16-year-old character.

 

But, I told myself, this story is fiction. And, there was something bigger at work here. I had to write this story, because doing so was my way to change the impact the past had on me. This was not just a story based on something terrible from my past; it was a reminder that I had made the right decision to not attempt for the third time to run away from home to escape from it. I endured it, although the coping mechanism I used was a little questionable. But I endured it. And I survived it.

 

This story is a reminder that I survived it.

 

Yes, I will write about my own experiences in my memoir, but this ebook is a reminder that I made it out of that hell alive. I did not do what my character did; I decided to stay and just put up with it. Thankfully, it all ended at some point.

 

For this reason, I was able to come to the writing of this story as someone who had been there. Aside from the scene where there was a knife at my character’s neck and the torn notebook, the abusive events she went through and the things her parents said to her were all true for me. They came straight out of my past.

 

And at the end of this story, I leave a personal message to anyone else who is going through that same thing or has gone through it. I also list some resources they can turn to to SAFELY and DISCREETLY escape that kind of situation.

 

In the Epilogue, I introduce a character that makes an appearance in a teaser at the end of my book, Bad Girls: Five Tales of Twisted Teens (which are stories with female characters taking a more homicidal approach against their abusers). This was my character’s introduction and that first chapter in Bad Girls takes place after what happened at the end of Lost Soul. You will see more of this character when she gets her own series in the near future.

 

I had some serious misgivings about publishing this story. On one hand, it would likely receive a lot of backlash for portraying a character who is sexually abused, albeit one so young. The sad reality is that there are A LOT of 16-year-old girls in this world enduring sexual abuse – as well as girls a lot younger than that. This is reality. It’s a terrible thing that happens in this world. I also thought I might be perceived in a negative light by my fellow writers, many of whom are my friends, for writing such “garbage.” That remains to be seen.

 

But I did not publish this story to entertain lecherous or crude thoughts about certain things being done to teen girls. I published it because, by seeing themselves in this story, girls who are in such situations may know they are not alone and that this sort of horrible thing being done to them is a very bad and very wrong thing. It is not normal and it is NOT okay. I also hope the resources I included will help them find a way out.

 

In the end, I want to give my readers of this story hope that there are people out there willing to help them, just as there are in this story. They are there, and you can turn to them if you need to.

 

Here is the blurb of the ebook:

 

Dana Mitchells leads a shattered life – until the day she decides to fight back against her abusers. This choice leads her on a dark road that leads to homelessness and despair. Can she find her way out of the darkness before it’s too late?

 

Available free on Kindle Unlimited here