Friday, February 9, 2018

The Black Sheep Shadow by Ashley Terrell: Spotlight




The Black Sheep Shadow
Ashley Terrell

Genre: Memoir

Publisher: Ashley Terrell LLC

Date of Publication:  April 19, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-329-90288-6

Number of pages: 130 pages

Cover Artist: Freepik

Tagline: “We have symptoms of ‘The Black Sheep’. Aren’t you aware?”


Book Description: 

A unique book on strength and how a person can overcome difficult events in their lives.



Miles Away From Ordinary

I have always been told that with success on any level come prices, struggles and journeys that can take you off road, and from the things that you have always known. In my mind as well as my life, I always considered myself one that would never understand what it was to succeed. I did not have the best support system ­ especial y with any day ending in a Y.
Growing up, I remember the white picket fence in some instances though they were blurry. What I do remember the most is the feelings I bottled, the conversations that pierced more than my self-esteem, but it factored into my confidence, my beliefs and my lifestyle.
You never know what someone is thinking or how their life has been affected no more than you know how damaging words and actions can be.
As one that was affected by the “what happens in this house, stays in this house” policy, I began to not say much. Unlike other households that had an “open door policy”, things were very strained in the Davis household. As time I grew older, I felt like my opinion didn’t matter and affected how I treated others. It also had a bearing on how I treated myself.
My life isn’t ordinary. I was not a person that uses to be happy. I was not a person that enjoyed company of friends, nor did I have the desire to be a socialite. I was determined to come from under the stigma of being the black sheep.
In all my years of living, the thing I found most profound is the power of God. God will have you speak to someone to deliver His words because He knows that person who is consulting with you will listen. That is trust. When God began to use people to speak to me, it was groundbreaking. It was scary. I never thought I was special enough to have such a privilege.
As I was sitting with my mentor to write an alternative book, we were brainstorming on paraphrasing when suddenly I blurted out, “There is no real word to describe my brother being murdered. There is no real word to express my darkness. People see the success of what I have done, not the pain that I had to endure to get there.”
Within that moment, I knew my time has come ­ I didn’t know for what though. He slowly looked around and I noticed his leg overreacting under the table.
“That’s your story,” he hissed. I paused. For the first time, I felt like a big, fat old-school Jawbreaker was lunged in my throat.
“No one wants to hear my story. They want to know how to go from sleeping on air mattresses and eating Ramen Noodles to how to go on tour, promote and do the stuff celebrities do,” I replied.
Just off the tidbits I had told my mentor, I never seen his face more flushed. “If you don’t tell your story,” he pauses and looks away, “then the Devil wins.”
I notice the goosebumps that wildly appeared on his arms. His body is still overreacting. The scent of the air changes. His advice is no longer suggestive, it is pushing and piercing.
“Your story is the raw truth, this book here we are editing is pretty. We need truth. Help someone break out from feeling alone. Help others take a step forward to want to be better. Your story is compelling and can do that,” he told me.

For the first time ever, I confidently agreed with him- in silence.

About the Author:

Ashley Terrell is founder of BSC and Co. She resides on the East Coast where she enjoys blissful sunsets and sounds of ocean waves.





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