Suzanne DeWitt Hall's Blog, page 3

Reader love from Norway!

 

This comment showed up recently on Instagram, and refers to my novel THE LANGUAGE OF BODIES. I had no idea it could be listened to on a Norwegian app! How cool is that?

If you'd like to hear the book as narrated by the astonishingly talented Nicky Endres, click here.

Let me tell you about these boots

For most of my life, I was a girly girl. Long hair, makeup, high heels: the works.

(Also submissive, guilt-riddled, and emotionally simmering. Coincidence?)
But things have shifted over the last decade as my emotional health has improved.

(Can't recommend the love of a good person enough.)

So let me tell you about these boots. 

They're red. 

They're chunky. 

They're Doc Martens; a brand I'd heard of, but never coveted, and a look I'd nod at on other people, but never considered for myself. 

But a few weeks ago, a nearby town was having a put-all-your-junk-on-the-curb-and-we'll-take-it-away-no-questions-asked weekend, so Declan and I drove around to see if we could find anything for our new/old house since we gave so much away before moving cross country. We did find a few useful things, like a rollermajig for the garden hose we've yet to purchase, an old rocking chair we're using as a plant stand, and some paving stones. 

We pulled over to look at some furniture which had great curb appeal but disappointed close up, and discovered a few bins full of miscellany. Including these boots. 

Brand new. No dirt on the soles. No scuffs. Pristine. 

I didn't know what they were, didn't stop to investigate too closely. They looked about my size and seemed very well made, so I just popped them in the car, and off we drove in search of the next bit of treasure.

(One of the things I've learned about Maine life is the importance of weather-appropriate footwear and coats.)

Back home, I discovered they fit, and did a bit of googling to sleuth out what they were. 

(Then I turned them upside down and read the brand imprinted on the sole. Doh.)

Not only did they fit, but they were comfortable. 

Cushiony. 

Protective, like if a motorcycle drove over my foot, my toes would be just fine.

Heavy, but not in an "I'm going to pull your feet off" way. More of an "I'm ready if I need to kick someone's ass today." 

Plus, they're red. 

RED.

The last red pair I owned were faux-leather 4-inch stilettoes, which I wore with linebacker-shouldered blazers to my corporate job in the 1990s. They gave me a sense of power in the only currency I knew at the time.

(I'm not dissing stilettoes or those who wear them. I just recognize the layers of fucked-up that went along with my wearing them. I'd still stalk around in a pair once in a while if my poor gnarled feet were capable of contorting into the shape of Barbie's.)

I've been wanting a pair of red shoes for a few years now. Not high heels, though a bit of lift would be required. Not sneakers, because they were never really my thing. I had a hazy vision of retro Mary Janes, or embroidered patchwork Oxfords that looked like they were crafted from pokeberry-dyed squirrel hide by a bearded recluse in the mountains of Georgia.

But nope. Instead, I got these boots.

Gorgeous boots.

Strong boots.

Superhero boots.

Boots that say "look at me!" but not like those cheap tottering heels did. 

I've worn them out in the world twice now, and they make me feel playful and powerful, their leather tongues proclaiming "I don't give a damn what you think, but admit it: aren't we cute?"

These boots are pure fucking magic.

And they were a gift from a universe who listened to my unspoken cries for shoes, glorious shoes, and knew better than I ever could about what kind my soul needed.

Sometimes a toy isn't a toy

My beloved Declan and I have made three major relocations since we became a couple in 2010. Our most recent was a move from Missouri to Maine. Each home has required extensive work, and our current house is the biggest challenge yet. It's a wonderful building with a tin roof and seven gables, built in 1900 and owned by a single family until us. The most recent resident was a nonagenarian, so maintenance and general upkeep slid into oblivion a decade or two ago. It's a heaping pile of projects and decades-old grime.

We returned to our beloved New England without knowing where we were going to land, and spent three months evaluating locales. Our funds are extremely limited and real estate is not cheap, so we had to make hard choices, but a few things were must-haves. Proximity to healthcare and culture. Minimal distance from mountains and oceans. A bit of land in which to putter. A fence to keep the pups safe. Heat. Running water. Roof. Foundation. 

And a tractor for Declan.

The fence will be installed in a few weeks, and the black and gold beast in the photo arrived today. We joke about it being Declan's toy. But sometimes a toy isn't a toy.

After two other homes fell through, we ended up in this seven-gabled house, with all it's warts and wrinkles. We'll be busy for years, cleaning, restoring, painting, fixing, propping up. These things weren't already done for us because we chose to have a tiny bit of land. We want to plant things. And take the dogs around for sniffs. And clean up the woodsy bits. And mow the parts that remain grass rather than transforming into garden or prairie.

When mobility is impacted, these activities are things you watch rather than do. And that's not okay, which is why when we budgeted and prioritized, we chose a house in which a single living room corner is a multi-day project. 

Because sometimes a toy is not a toy, it's a requirement.

Meet Me this Thursday, April 13!

I'm looking forward to a wonderful book discussion at the Haverhill Public Library this Thursday evening at 7:00, and hope you can be there. 

In this era of social turmoil, novels have the power to inform as they entertain, breaking down barriers to compassion and communication. The Language of Bodies is a page-turner which does just that. The love story at the center of the tale moves readers and helps them realize the essential humanity of transgender people, and the very real danger prejudice presents. 

I'm so grateful that the Cummings Foundation's focus on diversity and inclusion has made this event possible, in cooperation with the wonderful Buttonwoods Museum and Haverhill Public Library.

If you don't have a copy of the book yet, don't worry: they'll be on hand, and FREE to attendees. Kindle versions can also be provided. And if you haven't registered, that's okay too! Click here to register, or just show up!

Discussion questions related to the book are below, so if you've read it by the time Thursday evening rolls around, you can keep these questions in mind. If you've not yet read it but plan to attend, you'll have them in hand for when you encounter the story. 

And email me (sdewitthall@gmail.com) if you'd like to attend via Zoom!

The event is sure to be an insightful time of considering how fiction contributes to constructive social discourse. Can't wait to see you.

Book event to foster dialog about transgender realities April 13, 2023

 

As part of a diversity initiative, the Cummings Foundation is hosting author Suzanne DeWitt Hall for a community book study in partnership with the Buttonwoods Museum and the Haverhill Public Library. The no-cost event will be held at 7:00PM at the Haverhill Public Library on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Free paperback, audio, and ebooks are being provided as part of the foundation's grant, and can be received at the time of registration, or at the event itself.

Transgender identity is the eye of our current social and political hurricane, and the need for ways to increase understanding and foster discussion has never been greater. Novels have the power to inform as they entertain, breaking down barriers to compassion and communication. DeWitt Hall's The Language of Bodies is a page-turner which does just that. The love story at the center of the tale moves readers and helps them realize the essential humanity of transgender people, and the very real danger prejudice presents. Sponsoring a community interaction with The Language of Bodies is one example of the Cummings Foundation's efforts to support positive social change, in this case, through literature.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER  or go through the library's event page at www.haverhillpl.org. 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Maddie Wells’ life spirals out of control after the murder of her wife Char, a transgender woman of color. Hunger for vengeance drives Maddie to take a job at a wax museum near the murderer's hometown, where she studies revenge and plots how to strike back. Befriending the murderer’s wife is the first stage in Maddie’s plan to make him pay.
 
The Language of Bodies probes the seduction of vengeance using vivid, sensual imagery to explore how love transcends the particulars of body parts, and how revenge blurs the line between victim and perpetrator, hero and villain. It’s a gorgeous, dark tale about the enduring power of love, and the human spirit’s unwillingness to give up.

EDITORIAL REVIEWS

In Suzanne DeWitt Hall's The Language of Bodies, a grisly murder sets in motion a grieving wife's plan for retribution. What follows is a struggle for dominance between vengeance and virtue. The novel is a film noir between covers—dark, tense, and sexy. And hats off to DeWitt Hall for shining a light on the potential dangers faced daily by transgender individuals. 

Wally Lamb, author of six New York Times bestsellers and two Oprah Book Club selections, including I Know This Much is True 

 

 Dark and glowing as a ruby, DeWitt Hall’s debut is a page-turning exploration about what any of us might do for love, including succumbing to the dangerous allure of revenge.

Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You 

Lyrically written, deeply human, and deeply humane, this beautiful novel seethes with characters who love, bleed, and grieve just like the rest of us: in surprising and unpredictable ways. This compelling book deserves attention.

C.B. Bernard, author of Chasing Alaska, and Small Animals Caught in Traps

Brimming with passion, dark, and immersive. Even as Maddie Wells edged closer to becoming the monster who murdered her beloved wife, I couldn’t stop rooting for Maddie and hoping she’d refocus her grief. The Language of Bodies dares to mine the recesses of the human mind and the paper-thin boundary between obsessive love and madness. What a wild ride!

Lorrie Thompson, award-winning author of A Measure of Happiness, What’s Left Behind, and Equilibrium

Suzanne Dewitt Hall is the author of Reaching for Hope: Strategies and Support for the Partners of Transgender People, the Where True Love Is LGBQI+ devotional series, and the Rumplepimple Adventures. She's been a contributor for the Huffington Post, Sinister Wisdom, and Cognoscenti. Author interview requests can be sent to sdewitthall@gmail.com.
 
The Language of Bodies
978-1-954907-46-1• Paperback • October 2022 • $19.95 • Pages: 206 • Size: 6 x 9

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He was a terrier on a mission

We made the impossible decision to end our beloved Rumplepimple's distress last Friday. He'd progressed to the final stage of Degenerative Myelopathy, and every voice of wisdom from vets and the DM support community counseled that letting him go while some spark of dignity and joy remained was preferable to waiting for things to get even more heartbreaking.

I tend to go internal when I'm hurting, silently fumbling around to understand the boundaries of the pain. My Declan, by contrast, becomes eloquent, a fountain of words attempting to ease the agony. And so our friends and followers have heard Declan's voice, his tributes, his unwavering support of me throughout the months as I struggled to provide the physical care our pup required. But you've not heard much of my voice.

I'm still largely mute with the hugeness of the impact of this loss, which followed so quickly behind the loss of my mother, which came on the heels of moving away from what had been our home for seven years. My normal grappling with concepts through language has failed, but I need to post something, and so I write these feeble words.

Declan often says that Rumplepimple saved us. He was Declan's buddy and soul companion. He was inspiration for adventures in my kids books. He was brother to Phillip and Chicken the Cat. He partnered with Declan to be a voice of love, humor, and advocacy, reaching hearts all over the world.

He was a terrier on a mission. 

We miss him, so much.

My mom died about a week ago

 

That's a picture of the two of us, from some years back. It's not great film quality, because most of my photos are either in storage or on an aged laptop that I have to figure out how to download. But she's smiling, and it was a silly shot, and I like that.

She was like a cat, my mom, repeatedly surviving events that should have killed her. But the last series of strokes was too much, and she decided it was time.

I'll be processing and pondering this shift in the universe for years to come, and writing about it, I'm sure.

But for now, I thought you should know.

Return to the stardust, Kathleen Bascomb DeWitt Golden. Fly free.

Book talk on the Must Read Fiction podcast

 I had a wonderful time chatting with Erin Popelka recently for the Must Read Fiction podcast. We talked a bit about The Language of Bodies, generational trauma, the importance of facing internal darkness, and other cool topics!

Have a listen.

Q Spirit reviews THE LANGUAGE OF BODIES!

 Love this summary by Kittredge Cherry of Q Spirit; keeper of all things queer-saint-related.

Reframing Our Stories podcast, discussing SEX WITH GOD

Some people think the terms "sex" and "God" shouldn't be used in the same sentence. Kara Haug and I think otherwise. 

Listen here.