1) I understand that you are about to release a new book early next year. What is the book about?

Emily/Out of My Mother's Darkness, it is an autobiographical novel for tweens.

Eleven year old Emily comes of age while struggling with the debilitating effects of physical and emotional abandonment. She is enshrouded by her mother's dark world, a world of secrets and loneliness. Fear of disappearing into her mother's darkness and an internal hunger for life and happiness force her to face her mother––and her fear.

She sets out on a mission to find her missing father. Along the way she unlocks dark secrets. Emily is surprised to find out that one of the secrets involves her true identity. Her arduous journey to climb out of her mother's darkness opens doors to her hopes and dreams and helps her to resist the harsh mold of her mother.

The story of Emily is partly told through the character's use of journaling.She keeps a diary and writes thought-provoking poetry. The book includes a discussion guide.

2) Why do you think journaling is important?

Journaling has helped to put together scattered pieces of me. A Humpty Dumpty little girl, who survived a childhood riddled with trauma. Writing down my thoughts and feelings has helped me to understand my left-brain Pollyanna and my right-brain Pippi Longstocking. Also, many of my unresolved childhood traumas were put to rest through journaling.

I wish someone would have shown me as a child how to use journaling as a tool to work out and understand the confusing thoughts of my troubled mind. I hope my book about Emily will be an example of the power of journaling.

3) There is a lot of concern about writing. Do you think journaling would help adolescents become better writers?

Yes. The most important thing a writer needs is to find their own voice. They need to learn first to listen to that voice and second learn to express it. Journaling is one very effective way to develop that voice and to get to know your true-self.

4) You do a lot of workshops and in-services. What are some of the topics that you offer?

Building Believable Characters (ages 8 to 12)

This program can be adapted for the classroom or assemblies. I show students how the characters in my books came to life and how they can develop their own believable characters through narrative, dialogue and action scenes.(This program can also be adapted for teachers. Lecture or Seminar)

Writing Is Power (Teens)

I show my students how writing can help them to change the unchangeable, cure the incurable and move the unmovable. Through the use of mind mapping, discussions and reading from my published works I will show how expressive writing can empower them to deal with their difficult-to-solve problems.

Open the Mind of a Child (Educators/Counselors Power Point)

I will take my students on my journey of resolving my childhood traumas through the use of creative writing. I will use charts, mind mapping and some of my writing samples to demonstrate the effectiveness of creative writing in opening the mind. (Lecture or Seminar)

Writing Your Memoirs

A motivational program to help writers who want to write their memoirs. I will give them the tools needed to generate ideas and to explore their options for recording their memoirs. I will read some of my memoirs and insightful poetry that I wrote while recovering from post traumatic stress. Stress due to unresolved childhood traumas.

Young Writers Seminar (Power Point)

A program to stimulate right brain thinking in young people. Lectures, group activities, writing prompts, sharing research and class discussions will generate ideas and help young people to discover their voice and writing style.

5) Why do you think creative writing is important?

Creative writing has the power to help us to tell without telling. The writer can process difficult feelings and emotions as they take layers of complicated life's experiences and put meaning into them. This can help the writer to process and resolve trauma.

One example of this is writing autobiographical fiction. Taking emotional events from your life and fictionalizing them. This was a powerful therapeutic tool that helped to strengthen my identity.

Writing autobiographical fiction helped me to become visible to myself, it helped my traumatic memories to move from deep within to the surface and on to an insightful understanding of my life. It helped me to reflect on my past, deepen my identity and comprehend the facts of my life and move forward.

We live in a world where children are victims of trauma and need help to connect to their community, express their loss and have the creative side of the brain stimulated. It is important to have their minds active in their healing and creative writing can be helpful in the process.

6) Let's talk now about fairy tales- why do you think this genre is important?

Fairy tales can be a catalyst for children to explore their true selves and to help them to form their own conclusions about life. Stimulating the imagination through fairy tales and fictional stories can be a powerful aid in teaching and in helping children to process mentally having to deal with a confusing world of injustice, inequality and trauma.Also many life lessons have been taught through the use of fairy tales.

When I wrote my first book, Julie & The Lost Fairy Tale, I realized how powerful fairy tales were and how much they had influenced my early childhood.

7) Do you have a web site where people can contact you and what might they find at your web site?

You can visit me at: www.janielancaster.com

My web site is always a work in progress. You will find contact information, story synopsis, therapeutic writing samples, poetry, workshop information, pictures from my books, teacher's lesson plans and book club ideas.

8) What question have I neglected to ask?

What are you working on now?

I am working on a nonfiction book entitled When Silence Reigns, This book is part memoir, poetry and essays. I will include charts and therapeutic writing samples from my creative writing journey while I was in the process of healing from post traumatic stress. (See poetry samples on my web site)

It is my hope that this book will be helpful for educators, counselors and for those who would like to know how to use therapeutic writing as a tool in the process of healing an injured mind.

Published december 2, 2008