Introduction

The Perfect Book For You To Read Next

By P. J. Gudka

I want to start by thanking Dr. Robert F. Mullen for all his support over the years and for letting me takeover the blog today and share this post.

On the 5th of April, I published my debut novel Perfect, after a little over two years of working on it. Of course, this was a huge milestone and one that I was never too sure would actually happen for me. Why was I so skeptical? Two words- social anxiety.

Dr. Mullen has so many incredibly helpful and informative posts about social anxiety on this blog. I’ve been reading them for years. Not only did I find them encouraging, I also found his approach to be quite realistic. Blogs like this one encouraged me to turn my life around when I was at my lowest point.

Social anxiety had taken away so much of what I used to love. Everything I enjoyed no longer brought me joy but rather a feeling of constant unease and fear. That included writing.

However, once I began making a conscious effort to change how my mind worked, to stop letting anxiety be my default, it was like I slowly got my life back.

Finding My Way Back To Writing

I started getting back into hobbies I enjoyed such as writing. And two years ago, I published my very first book. A poetry collection called All The Words I Kept Inside. Of course, I was terrified to put such a personal collection out into the world. But the biggest lesson I’ve learnt over the years is that the fear is always going to be there when you do something big. You can’t live a life free of fear or anxiety because to an extent it serves a purpose in our life. What you can do, however, is live your life despite it.

Soon after my poetry collection was published, I began working on my very first novel. The plot was something I had thought about for years but had never built up the courage to actually write. I wrote, edited, wrote some more, edited some more. It took two years of constant edits but I finally finished it.

And today, I’m honoured to be able to share that book with all of you. Here’s a little more about the book.

Description

A mother protecting her son.

A boy spiraling into darkness.

A girl who never stood a chance

Sally thinks she’s succeeded in breaking generational curses until she finds out her eldest son, James, is the prime suspect in Lily Johnson’s murder. After years of bliss, she’s forced to revisit dark family secrets she believed she had left behind. Even more unsettling is that the deeper she digs, the more she realizes that she may not know James as well as she thought.

James is certainly not the perfect son his mother believes he is. In fact, he has always felt painfully different from everyone around him- until he meets Lily Johnson. Initially, their relationship seems flawless, but soon the cracks begin to show, leaving James questioning everything- including his own sanity and just how far he’ll go to protect the girl he loves.]

After her father’s death, Lily’s mother marries Paul- a man Lily despises. And if that wasn’t devastating enough, Paul moves their family to the small town he grew up in. They thought Lily would be safer there, but little did they know that the small town holds secrets none of them could have ever imagined. Secrets some would kill to protect. And Lily finds herself in the middle of it all.Perfect is an emotionally gripping psychological domestic thriller that explores the impact of dark family secrets and the generational trauma it leads to. It will have readers questioning how well any of us know those we love and how far we’re willing to go to protect them.

Purchasing Options

If you’re interested in purchasing the book, you can find it on Amazon:

And Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/perfect-p-j-gudka/1149608635?ean=9781964885636

Final Thoughts

If you’re reading this and struggle with anxiety, I just wanted to say that it is totally possible for you to live your absolute best life despite it. I know it’s difficult but please don’t let anxiety get the better of you. Keep trying to change your thought patterns, your thinking habits, and anything else that may be holding you back. You’ve got this.