My Memoir

From a very young age, I wrote short stories and impassioned missives in my diary. This note-taking became an integral part of my life, and when I struggled to understand life's mysteries, I jotted down my questions, my longings and my prayers. Other travelers helped me find my way through their whispered revelations: poets and teachers, friends and family, pastors and other religious seekers, neighbors and even strangers.

Letting Go Into Perfect Love is my memoir of travels through life's mysteries. Ultimately, it is about our shared path to wholeness. Though our stories are unique, we all know heartache and joy, and through these emotions we know one another.

I would never have chosen my life difficulties, yet after the storms had passed and the rains lifted, I saw the blessings in my destiny through the steps I had taken towards wholeness.

If you read my book, I suspect that it will evoke both tears of joy and sadness, but more than anything I believe it will bring you home to your own heart. You will be inspired by stories of triumph over adversity and will recall your own. In the process, I suspect you will treasure the sacred journey home.

Letting Go Into Perfect Love is now available in paperback, Kindle and audiobook through Amazon and all the other major book outlets.

Excerpts from Reviews:

Written in lyrical prose, the author recounts her challenging life encounters from her early days to her mature years. Often painful to read, her story parallels many human experiences common to countless females….the resilience of her love is reflected in her devotion to her children, her concern for her brethren, but especially in her final acceptance of herself as she achieves inner serenity. The mystical magnitude of her luminous love embraces the reader. This is a redemptive memoir with healing guidelines for those confined in or exposed to abusive relationships, for any who have endured family outrages and for those wishing to accompany the writer on a journey towards self-realization.
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An extraordinary journey through the author’s life with many emotional twists that kept me reading; teary eyed at times. Spousal abuse and child abuse is shared with the reader in a wonderful command of English and mental imagery that allows one to connect with the author’s journey through such a quagmire.

I whole-heartedly recommend this book, especially those who have been abused or counsel the abused or want to understand more. You will not regret it and will not be the same.
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Letting Go into Perfect Love is more than just one woman's memoir about her journey out from under the shadow of abuse and into a place of healing, enduring love; it is a collection of universal truths about human emotion, connection, and resiliency. For survivors of abusive relationships, Plano is an inspiring example of the possibility of finding renewed hope and happiness at any life stage; for all readers, she is a testament to the power of self-knowledge, compassion, and courage as tools for personal evolution. In lyrical prose that captures all the nuances of her experiences, both the heart-wrenching ones and the heart-warming ones, this talented author forever endears herself to lovers of the written word.
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The San Francisco Book Review: This is a redemptive memoir with healing guidelines for those confined in or exposed to abusive relationships, for any who have endured family outrages, and for those wishing to accompany the writer on a journey towards self-realization.
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Publishers Weekly Review: ...gripping memoir of surviving domestic violence and coping with the sexual abuse of her daughter...Ultimately life affirming, her journey will ring true to readers familiar with domestic violence and anyone who feels trapped and crippled by shame and self-blame.
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Rave Reviews Book Club: Although a difficult read, this book is extremely well-written. It is also a book that I would recommend highly… I am anxiously awaiting this author’s next release! In the midst of so much junk, thank you Gwen Plano, for an impeccably clean read! ~Nonnie Jules, founder and president

Comments:

"What a wonderful memoir! I spent all day yesterday reading it and then rereading those parts that seemed most profound. You are such a gifted writer, and...."

"My Word! What a book! I read a bit over half of it late one night and finished it early the next morning. I admire your skill with the English language and your ability to put it all together in a way that people can understand, but it's the content that blew my mind!"

"I cannot tell you how moved I am by the gift of your book. It is a sacrament for me and will nourish my spirit beyond imagining."

"...powerful and deeply spiritual memoir. To quote from the introduction, 'Our joys and our heartaches are, curiously, both unique and universal.' You will find connections here, as well as support and guidance for your own individual travels through life."

"I loved how the author tells her story. At times I found myself wanting to travel to all the places she described, other times I felt so angry at how she was treated and found myself taking a break to calm down....In spite of all the crap she had to deal with, this woman kept going. She kept working, studying, praying...I admired her faith and love of her 'Angel'."

"...tragic at the same time amazingly uplifting... It's excellent writing and I hated for it to end. She knows she has to continue writing! I will recommend it for students in my interpersonal relationship classes when we discuss boundaries and abuse."

The book trailer...