Release Blitz + #Giveaway: Women Therapists on Healing by Susan Pease Banitt, LCSW and Larissa Miranda @SuePeaseBanitt @RABTBookTours

11 Personal Essays about Overcoming Trauma

Psychology Nonfiction

Date Published: February 3rd, 2026

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Women Therapists on Healing is a powerful anthology of personal essays from women therapists who know trauma from the inside out. This three-part collection braids lived experience with clinical wisdom, offering a compassionate lens on healing that crosses cultural, generational, and systemic boundaries.

Far beyond a typical guide to PTSD, this book challenges outdated narratives and sheds light on the effects of marginalized topics, such as chronic invisible illness, intergenerational trauma, racism, ritual abuse, and human trafficking.

This book will especially resonate with

●    women recovering from trauma

●    healers and advocates seeking growth and guidance

●    health professionals committed to trauma-informed and anti-racist practices

●    friends and family who love and support survivors

The diverse voices in these essays honor the arduous path of healing as a reckoning, a reclamation, and a sacred reminder that we do not walk alone.

About the Author

Award-winning author Susan Pease Banitt is a Harvard-trained psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker with over thirty years of experience in the field. In her work, she integrates western therapy with holistic practices like yoga, Reiki, and Celtic shamanism.

Her acclaimed books, The Trauma Tool Kit and Wisdom, Attachment, and Love in Trauma Therapy, are essential reading for anyone seeking a compassionate path to healing complex trauma.

Based in Portland, Oregon, she continues her coaching and consulting work through Lotus Heart Counseling, and she shares bite-size wisdom on TikTok as “The Lightworker Whisperer.” In her downtime, she enjoys RVing, gardening, performing improvisational comedy, and spending time with family and friends.

 

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Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: Forever Kind of Love by Susan Bagby @Sbagbyauthor @GoddessFish

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Susan Bagby will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

 Blurb:

Willow Barton’s life crumbles at her husband’s arrest for fraud, forcing her to return to her Ohio hometown to rebuild. Running a small bookstore and helping her best friend care for her ailing father offers solace—until Zachary Hayes, her best friend’s brother and a charming country music star, shows up. Struggling to revive his career and reconnect with his estranged father, Zach sparks an undeniable yet unwelcome chemistry with Willow. As her estranged husband seeks forgiveness, and Zach battles his own demons, Willow must confront her painful past and decide if she’s willing to risk her heart again. Caught between heartbreak and hope, can they overcome their fears and build a future together?

Purchase FOREVER KIND OF LOVE on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org, and Walmart

Read an Excerpt

He browsed the shelves, stopping in front of a framed photograph on the wall of a close-up picture of a couple, sitting in a park somewhere in New York City. The woman was laughing, and the man held her outstretched hand. “The carefree expressions on their faces strike me with a feeling of wistfulness. Not an easy emotion to capture in an image. Who did this?” Zach pointed to the picture.

“I did.” Willow felt warmth spreading across her cheeks. Oh, God. I’m blushing.

“You’ve got talent—another surprising quality you possess. And this one?” He indicated another photo on the opposite wall.

“Yes.” She chewed on the end of her pen, watching him.

“Why aren’t you pursuing this as a career?”

She lowered her pen. “I’ve always wanted to, but life got in the way.” She was determined to stay tight-lipped about her endeavors in New York and failed career as a fine arts photographer.

“Don’t let adverse circumstances prevent you from following your dreams, Willow. No matter what happens externally, don’t lose touch with your inner calling.” He lifted the photo and placed it by the cash register. “I want to buy this, please.”

Willow observed his facial expression, which bordered on flirtatious. “You don’t have to. Please don’t feel you need to buy one because we know each other. I won’t be offended.”

“You see, your problem is you don’t believe in yourself. I want this because the photo is an exquisite piece of art. I have a perfect place for it in my house. Don’t argue.” He grinned and eyed her with both hands on his hips, then slapped his credit card onto the counter.

Interview with Susan Bagby

Could you tell us about any research trips you took for this story? Which places did you visit, and what made them essential to your writing?

I recently moved back to my hometown in Ohio after living 30 years in LA. I ventured to a nearby town that was situated on a river and had the cutest boutique shops along Main Street. I felt like it was the perfect little Hallmark town and visualized it as I wrote this new Cedar Hills series. I often drove through it when I was writing.

What's the strangest thing you've ever had to research online for your book?

One book I’m working on required me to research archaeological artifacts of Mexico and inspect the layout of Oxford University in England. It wasn’t strange, but very interesting. I was lucky enough to travel to England last year to see Oxford in person and visit a Mayan exhibit in the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford.

What research (history, mythology, science) goes into your world-building?

Since I usually write small town contemporary romance, most of my world building comes from my own experience. Although I do have to do research into backgrounds or occupations for my characters. I got the idea for Forever Kind of Love from a local newspaper article about a man who was arrested for fraud and had duped everyone. Thus, I created a similar story for Willow, although she lived in a big city and had to return to her hometown to rebuild her life.

Have any of the people you've known, past or present, left a lasting impression on your writing journey? If so, we'd love to hear about a memorable experience that stands out to you.

I’d have to say, that would be my first publisher at a small independent press in Canada, who gave me my first chance to publish a book. All through the process, he was extremely supportive, inspired me to write a second book, and was patient with sales. He gave me the confidence to keep going, improve my craft and follow my dreams.

Do you write in the same genre all the time?

Yes, so far. Forever Kind of Love is my fourth contemporary small-town romance.

If so, have you ever consider writing in another one?

Yes. I have another manuscript that is spicier and has some mystery twists in it as well.

Which character, supernatural or human, do you enjoy writing the most and why?

I like writing about protagonists who are kind, have dreams, and must overcome fears to achieve their highest potential. I’ve had a couple veteran heroes which I really enjoy writing about. I like to honor our military in that way.

About the Author:

Susan is a retired speech and language pathologist and full-time writer of romance books. She has three novels published with independent presses and her newest release is slotted for February 2026 with The Wild Rose Press entitled, Forever Kind of Love. In addition to being a Maggie Award finalist, Sweet Ridge Hearts, her last book, was also a Literary Titan gold award winner. She lives in Ohio where she relishes the four seasons, (well, maybe not winter), and loves yoga, jazz, golf and walking anywhere outdoors. Susan belongs to the Great Lakes Fiction Writers organization and to Romance Writers of America (RWA). She loves seeing new characters come to life and is a firm believer that dreams do come true.

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 Goodreads ~ BookBub ~ Bluesky ~ Twitter ~ Threads ~ TikTok

Giveaway:

$20 Amazon/BN GC

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

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Cover Reveal: Ivy Leigh Ever After by Gael Lynch @gaellynch @RABTBookTours

Middle Grade Fiction

Date Published: Feb 24, 2026

Publisher: Small Circles Press

Ivy’s life is a swirl of turbulence and change. It’s been almost a year since her sweet momma has died. Bottled up feelings tear her apart inside. Grandma wants to take her little dog away. Her BFFs pressure her to change. The cutest boy in school has a crush on her.

“It’s the universe, Ivy Leigh, welcoming in a little change.” Mr. Winters, her neighbor, a wannabe cowboy, tells her one day. But change is so confusing. When a pair of bullies taunt her on the bus and tease her at school, Ivy makes a giant mistake.

With a mix of humor and poignant moments and a quirky cast of neighbors and friends, Ivy finds a way to understand herself and make up for that mistake she’s made. Best of all, Ivy remembers Momma: Feelings are like fireflies caught in a jar, Ivy Leigh. They belong in the open, where a warm breeze can carry them away!

About the Author

 

Gael Lynch is a writer and storyteller, a teacher whose love of kids and furry creatures has followed her throughout her life. She now lives in coastal Carolina, a place of sunny beaches and warm breezes with her husband Tom and her rambunctious golden retriever, Wrigley. However, Newtown, Connecticut, with its pastoral beauty and kind-hearted people will always be a place she calls home.

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