Teria Robens
Teria Robens (TR) is an almost 70-year-old woman who raised children and took care of her mom. She has been married, divorced, and is happily dating. She also retired from a long, successful, career. Many of her clients were grown women who did not appreciate their value and were paralyzed by pain from their past. They were stuck in what TR calls "the comfort of familiar discomfort" and hid behind the "pseudo-power of the powerless." These women would not risk change, nor dare to reach for joy. They showed an image of stern negativity and though they thought they would protect the broken little girls inside, they just blocked their joy.
As TR saw her life challenges reflected in the eyes of her clients, characters and storylines began to swirl in her head. They insisted on getting out through her life-long love of storytelling and pushed her to write contemporary women's fiction with romantic elements and mild suspense. Her multi-cultural characters have been on the planet long enough to develop wisdom with their insecurities. They start by kissing age 50 (from either side) and live through menopause, retirement, aging parents, adult children, grandparenting, changing relationships, and the other realities we encounter in the second half of life. After decades of focusing on everyone else, these women realize that selfCARE is not selfISH andl earn to overcome guilt and life scars to put their needs higher on the "To Do" list. They also find courage to fight their fears, risk new experiences, and open themselves to true love. TR's first novel, What the Mirror Sees, won an award for Outstanding Fiction from the African American Arts Alliance of Chicago. Her second novel, The Sounds of Cajun Spice, is in process, and others are in the pipeline.
TR says, "Pain won't kill us; pretending we aren't in pain does that by poisoning our spirits and wrecking our relationships. We are strong enough and have wisdom and resiliance to work through any type of pain. It's time we dared to claim the joy we've earned with our gray hair and other battle stripes. It's time to recognize our right to have joy on our own terms. It's time to LIVE OUT LOUD!"
