Imagine being told the truth was a lie or a dream all your life. Imagine your mother convincing you that she never slapped you across your face and said, "that's my man!" Imagine confiding in your older sister and her response be, "It didn't happen to me so why would I think it happened to you?" (when it turns out she knew all along) Imagine over 30 years going by and all of a sudden your baby sister says, "Robin was not lying...He molested me too." Imagine how you would feel when the truth came to light and it turns out....every body you grew up with in your childhood home knew you were telling the truth....but still pretended you were making up the fact that your mother was married to a child molester and she was aware of it. Imagine your mother harboring and protecting the child predator who molested you. Imagine your mother propping that child predator up as a father figure. Imagine your life built on an unstable foundation. What happens when the child grows to be a woman who stands up? What happens when the bottom finally falls out? "Secrets on a Hill in Chocowinity, NC " is my story of self-help and self-healing. It is my desire to raise awareness that my story is way to common and the laws surrounding my story protect no one but the child predators and those who would harbor them.

I spent so much time running from the past that I rarely saw what was coming. My story shows a direct correlation between unsteady foundations and bad ideas. Each chapter in this book covers a critical stage in my life...where something was either lost or gained. Each chapter is followed by poetry I wrote during that time frame. My story follows my life from a child to present day. I wanted people to know that if they didn't want to protect the child predator in their life they don't have to. I wanted to set a proper example. Confronting my mother and her husband was the hardest thing I ever had to do. It was also for me, the most necessary thing I have ever done. Looking back at the traumas of my life, I wonder what would have happened if I had a different mother...what would have happened if I was strong enough earlier.....What would have happened if I took responsibility for my faulty decision making process as opposed to letting it be an excuse to not be fully living. This book is my wake up call.

Columnist, visual artist, performing artist, public speaker, and community activist are all hats that Robin wears well. Ess is a columnist at the Carolina Call Newspaper based out of Raleigh, NC. Her column is called "The Black Birdseye View." BBEV shares informative information meant to uplift, inspire and motivate its readers. Ess is a vocalist and spoken word artist who uses her craft to express herself and as a form of mental release. Ess's visual art is called "Ess Art" and reflects what she thinks, dreams, and experiences. Her mediums of choice are oil, acrylic, and mixed media. She is the founder of "Breathe to Think," affectionately known as BTT. In this open forum, performing artists display their crafts. Mills founded The Visual Artists Realm (VAR) as a means for emerging visual artists to show their work and share their creative process. "People always ask me how I manage so many visions at once. It's simple. Everything I do is connected. One thing opens the door for another. I read somewhere that if you do what you love, you will never feel like you are working….and it's true. I have always been a writer. I am a writer before I am anything else. As a small child in elementary school, I remember a teacher asking all the students to write down what they wanted to do when we grew up. I distinctly remember writing: I want to work for the News Paper. Being a writer is a part of me that will not be denied. I adore nothing more than playing with words to convey a thought or message. ~Robin Ess