Roselady

From a near-death experience at age 16, C.J. returns home to fall in love with her friend, neighbor, band-mate and 'fellow revolutionary' of the 1970's only to suffer at the hands of his out-of-control alcoholism.

After a divorce and frightening abduction at gunpoint by a stranger, she embarks on a journey with her toddler son, seeking an education and a better life for both of them in Utah.

While there, she meets and marries a decorated but troubled

Vietnam Veteran from Tennessee. When they move back to his

hometown, she tries to cope with the demons of his past but in the end, it is he who can't deal with them, taking his own life.

After returning to graduate school in an attempt to ease her grief, a freak accident results in a brain injury that changes her life dramatically.

Although she had been a professional musician and actress, well on her way to a Master's degree and a 'respectable day job with benefits,' the book's title, Roselady, refers to the one occupation which she found herself capable during her miraculous but lengthy recovery; selling roses in the night clubs and honky-tonks of rural East Tennessee.

There is much to identify with in this compelling story, and in spite of the hardships and heartbreak, it is told with a refreshing candor and humor that readers will find heartwarming and inspiring.

C.J. Morgan has been an award-winning entertainer, songwriter, educator and now author. While her professional successes are impressive, it is her personal life that has been a truly remarkable journey involving a spiritual awakening. From an abusive marriage and single parenthood to a freak accident that left her with a brain injury, she dealt with homelessness, heartache and a lengthy recovery that led her through a world of self-discovery that she sometimes shares with audiences. Having been awarded a grant from the prestigious Ella Lyman Cabot Trust to publish a memoir, Roselady is her unique story.

Roselady is the true story of one woman’s life and loves, of human endurance, challenges, triumphs, will and survival through a modern day maze of trials and tribulations, happiness and sorrow.

There is truly something for everyone in this memoir inspiring both tears and laughter. With no holds barred, C.J. Morgan has told her story simply, beginning with a Wisconsin childhood to ultimately finding peace in the Great Smoky Mountains. Dealing with codependency, chronic illness, single parenthood, mental illness, traumatic brain injury and crime are only a few of the detours along the way.

Ms. Morgan has painted a believable picture of hope within the pages and the writing evokes an honesty seldom encountered in today’s world. Her observations and reflections ring true at many levels and the characters populating her life represent American sub-cultures with humor and pathos. Critics have called it inspiring and real, and remind us that truth is often stranger than fiction.