The Scream Within
by Dwan Abrams
Category: Fiction

Shawna Cartier's life of privilege comes to a drastic halt when she is committed into a psychiatric ward. The experience forces Shawna to do a self- evaluation and come to terms with her past. She must deal with painful and shocking decisions that she has made. Secrets, lies, and deception have devastating consequences for all involved, leaving Shawna to pick up the pieces of a shattered life. Feeling that her life is spiraling out of control, Shawna seeks professional help. Her counselor, Keith, quickly becomes her best friend. Having difficulty separating business from pleasure, Keith must decide whether or not he wants to pursue a romantic relationship with her. Derrick, Shawna's father, was a dead-beat dad who reaches high levels of success by denying his own race. Evelyn, Shawna's mother, is overprotective of her daughter, because she desperately wants to shelter her from the world. Nanna, Shawna's grandmother, vividly remembers her days of young, but a youthful indiscretion haunts her for the rest of her life. Jake, Shawna's husband, turns her life into a nightmare.