About Jody Paschal
I'm a first-time novelist addicted to storytelling and sarcasm. This book is the brainchild of my need to be a humorous voice amplifier for unspoken taboos.
I've always had a vivid imagination, quick wit, and a never-ending curiosity. My family was convinced I was going to be an actor or politician. But since I prefer shadows to spotlights, I took a more respectable route and became a storyteller instead. It’s a choice I don’t regret.
I have a soft spot for underdogs, existentialism, and making people feel seen. Before writing this book, storytelling was a means of educating and providing connective tissue for the individuals I work with. Now, I write to reconcile being raised in the middle of nowhere by a multicultural family of airhorns.
This book is the first time I’m releasing my imagination and the existential conversations in my head into the wild. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did creating it.
About Groomed
Not All Life Lessons Come
With A Warning Label
Groomed is intended to be a lesson in the unexpected. I wanted to write a narrative about grooming from the male perspective that wasn’t the stereotypical teacher/student dynamic.
I also wanted a story that reveals and reminds the reader that people don’t always show up in situations as we expect them to, and that care and concern looks different for everyone.
Most importantly, I wanted readers to experience the subtle ways emotional abuse and trauma show up. It’s not always physical or obvious, even to the character (or reader) experiencing it.
We’re conditioned to believe situations and our reactions to them are black or white. I intentionally wrote this book using humor, nuance, and ambiguity to spark questions, shift thinking, and (hopefully) challenge your perspective.