GIVEAWAY CLOSED
Mother-daughter relationships – we’ve had a few books with this theme recently. Never an easy subject. Now comes Joanne Kukanza Easley’s, SWEET JANE.
A drunken mother makes childhood ugly. Jane runs away at sixteen, determined to leave her fraught upbringing in the rearview. Vowing never to return, she hitchhikes to California, right on time for the Summer of Love.
Seventeen years later, she looks good on paper: married, grad school, sober, but her carefully constructed life is crumbling. When Mama dies, Jane returns for the funeral, leaving her husband in the dark about her history.
Seeing her childhood home and significant people from her youth catapults Jane back to the events that made her the woman she is. She faces down her past and the ghosts that shaped her family. A stunning discovery helps Jane see her problems through a new lens.
*****
Joanne Kukanza Easley, born in Chicago, Illinois, has adopted Texas as her home. She lives in the Texas Hill Country on a small ranch with her husband, three rescue terriers, and abundant wildlife. Retired from a career in nursing—with dual specialties in the cold, clinical operating room, and the intense, emotional world of psychiatric nursing—she devotes her time to writing fiction.
Thanks to Joanne we have one copy to giveaway. Just tell us a bit about your childhood growing up. We’ll announce a winner soon. Good luck.
GIVEAWAY: USA only please
Cindy Reads & Writes 
First of all, I love the title. It’s part of my email address too. I grew up in a loving house and had a normal childhood with my parents and older sister by almost 5 years. I was happy playing with friends, cousins who were my friends and having picnics w/family often. We were a close knit family, aunts and uncles and cousins. I’d love to go back and do it again.
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I had great, kind parents and a good sister with whom I had good sister fights. My grandfather lived with us and I adored him. What a treat growing up with him in the house. I wonder if my mother thought so.
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Traveled the country & enjoyed the freedom.
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My childhood was ok. Didn’t have relatives living close we were in US and everyone else was in Germany.
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My childhood was pretty good. We moved a lot, but I got to spend summers with my grandparents!
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I grew up in a loving and caring family. My grandparents lived within walking distance so I saw them everyday. Life was good.
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I had a wonderful childhood. My parents were kind and loving and taught my 5 siblings and I to be the same. Love and laughter.
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I had a good childhood. I had two sisters and one brother, so I was never alone or lonely. We had a ton of aunts and uncles and cousins; my dad had 16 brothers and sisters and my mom had eight. Family gatherings were so much fun! All in all, it was a good childhood.
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I was an only child and my parents were really pretty amazing. I have so many wonderful childhood memories. I never met my grandparents on my dad’s side because they were deceased, but my mother’s parents lived in NY and we went every summer for vacations.
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My childhood was fine growing up. I had friends, but wasn’t all that popular. My family went on vacations a lot. We had a bunch of pets too. My maternal grandma lived nearby and we spent a lot of time with her. My sister and I were also close growing up and played together all the time.
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I played a lot in the nature with plants and animals, also with my siblings. It was a sweet childhood.
This cover is so pretty.
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My child hood wasnt bad. There were 5 of us and never had enough money but my Mom and Granny made it the best for us they could. Looking at it now I really cant complain.
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Summer days were spent walking or riding my bike down to the beach with siblings and friends
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My childhood was a little challenging with unhappy, divorced parents. But I overcame it and have had a happy life since.
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I grew up in simpler times when riding bikes, playing with dolls and playing board games was our fun. Violence wasn’t so rampant and kids were safer in their neighborhoods. We played outdoors from sun up to sundown. Never bored and loved by family and neighbors.
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I had a good childhood for the most part. We didn’t live anywhere fancy, but there were lots of other kids around. I loved school and did well.
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I unfortunately didn’t have a great childhood but there were some fun times. I grew up in a small town in Delaware where everyone knew everyone. We had a park in town called Wheelers Park where we would go as a child and see monkeys and take train rides. The fair came to Delaware every year so two weeks of the summer was fun.
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I had great parents. We traveled a lot and they took us on a lot of adventures and we were a really close family.
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I had five brothers and sisters so I always had someone to play with (or bother). Our family ate dinner together every night and there was an extended family dinner on Sundays. Those Sundays also meant dressing up for church. One of my favorite things to do was to shag golf balls in the creek near my grandparents. Another was spending the weekend at grandma and grandpa’s. Summers meant berry picking, having to be home when the streetlights came on, and bicycle rides to the library and fire station.
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I grew up in a family with 3 sisters and 1 brother. We were all our best friends and hardly ever fought, which was not allowed. My dad was in the service before I was born so he was very strict and my mom was passive and laid back. It was a wait till your father gets home type of discipline so we were pretty well behaved. As adults we are best friends and see each other at least 2 times a year. We all live from Northern CA to Southern CA.
Thank you for the chance.
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Family of 7. We camped every summer.
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I was the oldest of 6 kids. We grew up in a small lakeside village in western NY State. It was pretty idyllic! I did not really realize how wonderful I had it until I grew up and moved away! We literally lived out doors – we had all the obvious summer activities possible with a lake as your front yard. Same with the winter. My parents worked hard in a family business and life was pretty lucky for us!
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I had a good childhood and lot of good memories at the beach, at the roller rink, and sledding in the winter.
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Awesome to see that the author worked in psychiatric nursing, which is my current career! I was the oldest and only girl. My youngest brother has profound autism and I helped care for him frequently while growing up.
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Born and raised in Puerto Rico, good parents, teachers, the most perfect couple I know within the imperfect. A humble home, middle class but I never miss anything. I am the oldest and only woman of four brothers. We were a product of public school but we all graduated from the University. Very close
until today. We visit the church every Sunday, my mother always studies with us and shows us the love for reading. We used to meet every night in the kitchen for coffee and biscuits and we played board games.
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Life when I was growing up was simple. Freedom to walk to and from school by ourselves, go to parks, pools, ride bikes all over the city and go to friends. No concerns or worries about our safety at all. Just enjoyment and children being children.
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My childhood was mixed. Theare were good times but I was raised in the early 60s and my dad was very strict. No one could have an opinion except for him at that time. He would tell me, “if I say a white horse is black then it’s black!” It was very intimidating. He’s old now though and has mellowed. My mom used to tell me things, then tell me not to tell my dad. This was a lot of pressure. She still treats me like I’m a kid for some reason. There are times I wish she could just treat me like a friend. She makes me uncomfortable sometimes and I’m not even sure why!! I just feel a little rebellious, which is crazy at my age! Like if she invites me to a family get together and I’m not sure I can go, she will say, “Oh, I bet you’ll be able to!” That makes me want to tell her reasons why I can’t. I shouldn’t feel that way. I’m a grandmother myself!! I love both of my parents so much, but it doesn’t always feel like a smooth road!
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I had a good childhood. Some challenges but I got through them.
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Grew up in a family of 6 kids. We didn’t get to go on many vacations. But dad taught us to fish and we sure learned how to do chores and play outside. All on all was good. Learn to cherish making homemade ice cream and eating corn on the cob and playing with our dog.
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Had a childhood I would rather forget,except my pets they were my escape.
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I had a lot of traumatic experiences growing up. My grandmother was my one source of love and security, but she died when I was eight years old. My parents provided for me materially, but there was a lot of emotional and verbal abuse.
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I was blessed growing up on a farm in a small town in California. Raised with animals, involved with 4-H and FFA. Small school…life at its finest!
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I had a happy childhood with 5 siblings. I picked cotton, learned how to cook and helped my mom. I loved my grandparents and really miss them. I had parents that worked and provided for us kids. We camped and fished a lot. The 50s, 60s and 70s were the best era for music so we always had radio on and mom and dad would dance for us. So much fun.
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My childhood was fine growing up
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Grew up in a small town. I still live in now. I have one brother and one sister. Lived on a small hobby farm. I had few friends but escaped to my books and pets.
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Grew up in a house set back from the road with gardens of flowers and vegetables!
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My childhood was a bit chaotic but there are some very fond memories of trips to the local library with my little sister and my dad, Early Sunday morning walks to the bakery for the freshest onion rolls and cookies for breakfast.
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I am an only child, oldest and only girl grandchild, so I got super spoiled by my grandparents growing up!
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