KISSING ASPHALT
Delicia Niami
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GENRE: Memoir
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BLURB:
Resilience isn’t inherited. It’s a hard-fought skill forged by our ability to pick up the broken pieces of our past and remake them into something new.
Meet four-year-old Delicia, a poor but carefree child who is about to have her world shattered. Along with her seven-year-old brother Nile, she is kidnapped from her Los Angeles home by her estranged father and taken to Iraq, a foreign world she has never known. This is just the beginning of a string of traumas, hardships, and assaults Delicia will endure throughout her tumultuous childhood.
Now an adult living back in California, Delicia Niami bravely recounts how she survived the unimaginable in her debut memoir. Kissing Asphalt, the first in her memoir trilogy, ResilientAF, grapples with the power of resilience, acceptance, and self-love. She revisits her terrifying past with vulnerability, compassion, and the honesty of a true survivor. Hold hands with Delicia as she faces her childhood scars and learns how to confront her fears, accept her true value and identity, and embrace her unique gifts. It’s a multi-decade roller coaster ride that is the beginning of her liberation, propelling her to live an inspired life and embrace her full human potential—a human potential she knows lives inside everyone, no matter what life has thrown at us.
For anyone who has struggled with childhood trauma, Delicia’s unflinching journey through darkness and back to light will resonate. She has decided to share her story publicly in hopes that it will serve as a guide to the many who have suffered in silence and continue to struggle against the daunting weight imposed by childhood trauma.
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Excerpt:
It was a sunny day in Arleta, California. A layer of smog covered the sky, giving it the most illustrious orange hue. My brother and I were anxiously awaiting our five-day Easter vacation with our father. Our parents were going through a tumultuous divorce and had been separated for about a year at this point. I felt extremely sad because I never got to see my “dad.” I thought it odd that he cut all ties with our family, especially his own children. At only four years of age, I couldn’t understand the concept of a father wanting nothing to do with his kids. Imagine the excitement my brother, who was seven at the time, and I felt after almost a year of not seeing him. Now we were going to get to spend five whole days for Easter with our “dad.”
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REVIEW: This book will pull on the heartstrings knowing what this individual went through. It was a easy read, but one that will has triggers for some who read it. What this girl went through.... unbelievable! I think I ran on all kinds of emotions while reading this story.
From Trauma to Triumph: My Journey to Becoming an Author
I’m thrilled to share my journey with you. It’s a story of resilience, self-discovery, and the transformative power of storytelling. My name is Delicia Niami, and I recently released my new audiobook, Kissing Asphalt: The Courageous True Story of One Child’s Unbreakable Spirit-From Kidnapping and Abuse to Self-love.
The Unexpected Inspiration
If you had asked me a few years ago if I ever saw myself as a writer, I would have laughed at the idea. Writing wasn’t something I ever considered seriously, despite the repeated urgings from various psychics who told me that my story would someday be turned into a movie. Their confidence in my narrative potential was intriguing, but I never felt that I had a positive message to share. My life was filled with the echoes of past traumas, and I didn’t see how sharing those painful memories could benefit anyone.
A Turning Point
Everything changed when I read The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk. This book was a revelation, offering profound insights into how trauma is stored in the body and how healing was possible. Intrigued and inspired, I attended one of his workshops. It was there that the true turning point in my journey occurred.
During the workshop, surrounded by people who had their own stories of struggle and resilience, I realized that my life wasn’t just a series of traumas. I had survived, grown, and emerged as a happy and well-adjusted person. This epiphany was monumental. I saw that I had not only made it through my life’s challenges but had also found a way to thrive. I did have a positive message to share after all.
The Birth of the ResilientAF Memoir Series
That transformative weekend, I began writing Kissing Asphalt. For the first time, I felt a compelling need to put my experiences into words, not just as a therapeutic exercise but as a way to inspire and help others. The process was cathartic and empowering, allowing me to revisit my past from a place of strength and hope.
Writing this book was a journey in itself, filled with moments of reflection, revelation, and healing. As the pages filled up, I felt a growing sense of purpose. I realized that my story wasn’t just about trauma; it was about resilience, survival, and ultimately, triumph. I wanted to use my story to encourage others to know that we are all ResilientAF and we can all make it through anything that life throws our way. It takes works, but no matter what we have been through we can find joy and I am living proof of that.
The Audiobook Experience
Turning Kissing Asphalt into an audiobook was the next natural step. I wanted to bring my story to life in a way that could reach even more people. Hearing the words spoken aloud in my own voice, I’d hoped would add a powerful, personal dimension to the narrative, allowing listeners to connect even more deeply with my journey.
A Message of Hope
Today, as I promote Kissing Asphalt, and the upcoming second book, Not My Circus, I do so with a heart full of gratitude and a mission to spread hope. My journey from doubt to self-acceptance, from trauma to triumph, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. I hope that my audiobook will inspire others to find their strength, embrace their stories, and move forward with hope and determination.
Thank you for allowing me to share my story with you. If you or someone you know is looking for inspiration, a story of resilience, or simply a testament to the power of healing, I invite you to listen to Kissing Asphalt.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Delicia Niami is an acclaimed memoirist and LGBTQ+ advocate, whose raw and edgy storytelling has touched the hearts of readers worldwide. Residing in Santa Cruz and an alumna of UCSC, Delicia draws inspiration from her own journey of resilience and empowerment. Through her memoirs, she fearlessly addresses topics such as sexual abuse, trauma recovery, and the importance of self-compassion. Delicia's work not only sheds light on difficult experiences but also empowers others to find their voices and embrace their own resilience. Her passion for advocacy shines through in her writing, making her a powerful voice for change and healing in today's world.
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/delicianiami_author/
https://www.facebook.com/ResilientAFMemoir
https://www.facebook.com/kissingasphalt
https://www.instagram.com/resilientaf_memoir/
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