#AuthenticityAlways

For Miriam Llewelyn, moving to Stuarts Landing, Virginia, in 1978 was meant to be a fresh start after she and her husband sustain financial ruin and personal loss, but the town’s polished façades hide a fiercely protective social hierarchy she was as naive in predicting as she was of navigating. She quickly discovers small-town life is anything but quiet. Her every move engenders the scrutiny of Louise Winston Caldwell, the ambitious queen of the Women’s Auxiliary, who will stop at nothing to maintain control.

As Miriam settles in, befriending the eccentric, wealthy Webster sisters, she uncovers a decades-old family secret linking her late grandfather to the town’s most powerful household. A tragic fire, hidden adoption, and old betrayals surface, exposing rivalries that have simmered for generations. Miriam’s arrival sets in motion a chain of revelations that threatens to upend both the social order and long-held loyalties.

In a town built on tradition, Miriam must navigate ambition, jealousy, and hidden truths while finding her own place. Only by confronting the past—and choosing forgiveness—can she uncover the life her grandfather envisioned and forge her own path to belonging and peace.

Suzanne's 56 years with her father were characterized by longing. If she could only meet his standards, ephemeral though they were, she would feel she belonged. That she was safe. That she was protected from external threats.

Learning that the threats came from within—that the threats were in the form of his personality disorder and addiction—came long after she had been damaged. Make no mistake: she never lacked for food, clothing, or shelter. She took family vacations. She received a wonderful education. She enjoyed numerous achievements, academically, professionally, and personally.

To an outsider, her life probably looked normal, even privileged. The truth is the permanent scars resulting from narcissistic abuse are every bit as devastating and traumatic as those borne from physical and sexual abuse. Narcissistic abuse is insidious and challenging to survive. And the effects can outlive the abuser, almost in perpetuity. This is her story... possibly yours.

“We need to talk.” Nobody wants to hear it, and no one should ever say it.

So stop! It’s the worst way to begin a serious conversation, especially when you need something from the other person/s – their cooperation, their agreement or commitment, or a change in behavior.

Suzanne Seifert Groves has a 35-year career in organizational communication and here, in straightforward steps, she provides the ‘difficult conversation’ framework you’ve needed your entire career, and for every personal relationship as well.

How many times have you acquiesced, alienated, or just plain pissed off your staff, your clients, your partner, your kids, or your neighbors because you didn’t frame things correctly? We’ve all done it more frequently than we’d like to admit.

Along with the practice exercises, you’re going to want to make this methodology second nature because it will change how you think and speak about issues important to you. When “taken as directed,” the four-step process will transform every important relationship in your life (with no harmful side effects).