ONCE REMOVED with KIM WALKER today.

I'm delighted to welcome fellow Crooked{Cat}Publishing author, K. B. Walker, today. She's going to enlighten us about the background to the writing of her novel- ONCE REMOVED.
 

Dare you peek between the covers?

 

“In emergency rooms, people with self-inflicted wounds are often told directly and indirectly that they are not as deserving of care as someone who has an accidental injury. They may be treated badly by the same doctors who would not hesitate to do everything possible to preserve the life of an overweight, sedentary heart-attack patient.”

© Self-injury: Beyond the Myths, by Deb Martinson 1999

 

When I was in high school, a troubled girl showed me the slices she’d made in her own thigh. I was horrified and ran away from her. Then in the 90’s self-harm was much in the media and we heard that Princess Diana had struggled with this. Baffled and uncomfortable about not being able to help all those years ago, I read The Bright Red Scream by Marilee Strong and The Scarred Soul by Tracy Alderman, as well as many reputable and informative internet sites.

 

Still a relatively taboo subject, self-injury is more common than people think, covering minor things like biting fingernails until they bleed to truly horrific acts. Recently someone told me a child in their school self-harmed and the school counsellor told everyone to ignore it because it was only attention-seeking behaviour. My heart breaks for that child and others who are left unhelped through ignorance.

 

I enjoy reading novels that explore challenging issues through the eyes of believable characters, books like We’ve Got To Talk About Kevin, My Sister’s Keeper and The Help. Relationships are at the heart of all these stories. Once Removed is about Abby, a young teacher, who suspects her pupil, Beth, is self-harming. Unable to help without hard evidence, Abby risks everything to win Beth’s trust. Narrated alternately through Abby and Beth’s eyes, the reader discovers the impact their relationships have on them and their own self-image has on those relationships.

 

My publisher, Crooked {Cat}, made this stunning banner using quotes from some of Once Removed’s reviews.

That is a stunning banner, Kimm. Here's the blurb for Once Removed.

Suspecting self-harm, newly qualified teacher, Abriella, risks everything for a troubled pupil. An incident with a craft knife and unexplained injuries are not enough to secure help for Beth. Unsure whether the girl is being bullied or has problems at home, Abby sets out to win her trust, and the two begin a friendship. But has the teacher gone too far?
When Beth disappears, Abriella’s already complicated life takes on a sinister turn as rumour and suspicion ignite an inferno. Abriella is arrested, suspended and targeted by vigilantes.
Will either survive?

Once Removed is a contemporary novel dealing with the often hidden matter of self-harming in a sensitive, eye-opening way.
Buy now:

• Amazon UK
• Amazon worldwide
• Smashwords
• Barnes & Noble – coming soon
• iTunes – coming soon
• Sony – coming soon
• Kobo – coming soon

Let's learn a little about K.B. Walker.

K B Walker - Author of Once Removed

A storybook romance swept KB Walker from her American childhood to marriage, life and a teaching career in Yorkshire. Becoming an author seemed as likely as being a princess or an astronaut, but after twenty years at the chalk-face, Kimm left schools behind and set her mind to the dream. She’s had several poems, short stories and articles published, won a handful of local prizes, as well as being invited to speak at events in the UK and US.
Kimm’s two grown up sons have left home now but in 1996, fifteen year old James was diagnosed with cancer and survived against the odds. A Life Less Lost, her memoir of that experience, was published in 2009.
A foodie, Kimm recently discovered the joys of grow-your-own, loves ‘doing up’ old houses, reading, badminton, skiing and various crafts. Still captivated by the British countryside, she also enjoys bracing walks with her dog.