Facing Demons [Paperback]

Ashley Sanders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 2011

Ashley Sanders' new novel explores four teenagers' self-destructive behaviors and their recovery.

Despite issues of child prostitution, gangs, homelessness, racism, and suicide, "Facing Demons" inspires by revealing that a second chance is possible. When life is difficult, too often teenagers see no other way out than suicide, or fearing suicide, they indulge in self-harming behaviors. Author Ashley Sanders knows another choice exists, and it is never too late to make that choice. Sanders portrays four self-destructive teenagers who are given a second chance in his moving new novel "Facing Demons" (ISBN 9781426951701, Trafford Publishing 2011).

Dedicated to "those who deserve a second chance," "Facing Demons" is the often frightening, but also inspirational tale of how four teenagers tackle their self-destructive lives when they meet in a rehabilitation program. The four teenagers are: Rebecca, thrust into child-prostitution, and seeking escape from it through suicide; Jason, a racist gang-member determined to avenge his family's cold-blooded murder; Felicity, a manic-depressive grieving for her deceased brother and coping with her pain through drugs, alcohol, and self-harming behaviors; and Matthew, a homeless teenager, separated from his family after escaping his war-torn homeland only to end up burning himself severely. Each character in "Facing Demons" tells his or her story in first-person, which provides an emotional experience for readers and a deeper insight into the individual characters' minds. When Rebecca, Jason, Felicity, and Matthew come together for rehabilitation, it allows them to find camaraderie and strength in knowing others have experienced troubles like them, and their fellowship provides them support in their recovery. Together, their journeys will lead them to conflict and adventure, danger and romance, but ultimately, hope for a second chance.

Written for young adult readers, "Facing Demons" is an important look into the issues many teenagers face. For those on similarly self-harming paths, the story will resonate and provide hope for a better future. More fortunate readers will find the book educational and it will provide them with gratitude for their own lives as well as an understanding of others' journeys. The book may also prevent other readers from entering the glamour of the underworld or a self-destructive life of drugs and alcohol. Seventeen-year old reviewer, Avni Gupta, of Reader Views, said, "When I received 'Facing Demons,' I was quite excited to read it. I have always been pretty interested in reading about people who have had to go to rehab and the stories behind them. Normally, you just hear about them as a statistic, but behind every number and every statistic, there is a real person and a real story....This book was absolutely amazing. I definitely read it twice before I started writing this review! With every page I read, and every detail into someone's story, I became more and more hooked on this book." Avni's response is sure to be that of numerous readers in her, and all, age groups. "Facing Demons" (ISBN 9781426951701, Trafford Publishing 2011) can be purchased through local and online bookstores. For more information, visit ashleysanders.com. Publicity contact: ReaderViews.com. Review copies available upon request. ###

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sanders does a great job of connecting the individuals and providing important life lessons to the reader along the way. Sanders is definitely an author to watch in the Young Adult genre!" - Kam Aures, Rebecca's Reads

"This book was absolutely amazing! I read it twice before I started writing this review! With every page I read, and every detail into someone's story, I became more and more hooked on this book." - Avni Gupta, Reader Views

"A page-turning... finely crafted novel. This is a great book that will move you profoundly... Highly recommended." - Douglas R. Cobb, Bestsellers World

"Totally inspiring... Facing Demons is an extremely heart-rending book. It covers many of the problems facing young people today. A real eye-opener." - Ellen Feld, Feathered Quill Book Reviews

"A thought provoking novel which will touch every human emotion possible." - Beck Valley Books

About the Author

Ashley Sanders was born in Adelaide, South Australia, where he has lived most of his life. He attended Eynesbury College and Flinders University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in Health Sciences and became a paramedic. He gains inspiration for his writing from the diverse range of people and situations he meets in this exciting job.

FACING DEMONS is his first novel, which he is also writing prequels for. The first book in the prequel series, JASON, will be released later 2012.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Trafford (October 17, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426948018
• ISBN-13: 978-1426948015
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,732,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ashley Sanders is a young adult fiction writer and author of FACING DEMONS, which reviewers have described as "Inspirational" and "Absolutely amazing!"

His career as a paramedic with the South Australian Ambulance Service continues to give him valuable insight into a diverse range of people's lives and has sparked inspiration for his writing.

Ashley is currently working on character prequels for Facing Demons.

Follow Ashley and see more of his work on his blog:

http://authorashleysanders.blogspot.com

Connect with him on:

Twitter - ashleysanders84
Facebook
LinkedIn
Blogger

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars We all have demons...but are we all ready to face them? November 2, 2011

By S. Violante

Format:Paperback

Ashley Sanders takes the reader through these four problem kids' journey on fighting their inner Demons. The reader will be inside their heads and hearts, and feel their heart-wrenching pain, and fears. Their battle will transcend to the Demons in their lives who they must fight to be free. But the battle will be fierce and there is no predicting if they will succeed or die in the process.

Facing Demons is a heart-wrenching story that will change the reader's view about judging "problem kids." I was fascinated by its setting in Australia, heart broken by the reality of all the characters, and drawn to the edge by the dramatic suspense of their battles.

As a reader and author of Young Adult Books, I reccomend this read to young people of all ages.

Susan Violante Innocent War (Revised Edition): Behind an Immigrant's Past Series Book 1

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Inner Demons are the Hardest to Face January 15, 2012

By LK Gardner-Griffie

Format:Paperback

Somewhere during the tumultuous years we call being a teenager, I read a book called Voices that impacted me strongly at the time and stuck with me for many years. The concept of the book was the background and letters of teens who committed suicide, and was based on non-fiction cases. Each time I connected with the kid in the current "story" and each time my mind cried out for them to choose life -- things would get better. When I ran across Ashley Sanders' Facing Demons the write up reminded me of the book which had made such a huge impression on me. So I read the preview and decided to give it a try.

I was not disappointed.

Sanders has penned a powerful story weaving five troubled lives together in a beautiful setting. Blake Solomon rescues four teens from the hospital, transports them to his rehabilitation center, and helps them learn to take control of their own destiny and break their patterns from the past. And you may note that I mentioned five troubled lives, and not four. Blake has some troubles which are revealed through the course of the story as well, which help give him a realness he would not otherwise have had.

Each of the kids in the story come to life on the page, and you will feel like you could meet them somewhere in your own home town. Yet, each of them has a reason to want to die, as well as a reason to live -- though they may not know it. While each of their stories has some similarities, they are unique to the character and the voices are well-developed. My only complaint, which probably comes from being a writer myself and therefore used to subjecting my own work to extreme critical analysis, is that despite the use of first person present tense (or in the case of Blake third person present tense), I felt distanced from the characters -- like they were at arms length. I wanted to feel their pain, yet felt told about it instead. I am not a huge fan of present tense narrative, but the purpose behind it is to bring the reader into the mind of the character, reducing any distance. Toward the end of the book, the distance diminished, which made me wish the intimacy would have been there from the start.

However, despite my pickiness, Facing Demons is a worthwhile read, and one that teens will definitely connect to. The issues that the teens face have an incredible ring of truth about them. And in delving into Sanders' background, I discovered that he works as a paramedic, so has seen this sort of thing first hand. What a wonderful way to take personal experience and convert it to an amazingly insightful tale. Facing Demons is about some of the poor choices we can make with our lives, or dealing with the circumstances dealt to us from the deck of life. It has a tremendous message of hope and will have you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails with its exciting conclusion. A definite "must read" for troubled teens, but good for all teens and those of us who still remember the emotional upheaval of those times.

Bravo, Mr. Sanders

What's even better is that Sanders is currently working on the prequel stories of Jason, Rebecca, Matthew, and Felicity, and I for one can't wait for them to be out.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Facing Up To Your Demons Ain't Easy.... October 27, 2011

By Douglas R. Cobb

Format:Paperback

What do you do, where do you turn, when you have no hope, when you think that you have nowhere to turn? Facing Demons by Ashley Sanders is a fascinating, page-turning YA novel which explores the turmoil-filled, tumultuous lives of four teenage individuals who face tragic and desperate situations, and the often self-destructive decisions they make, that lead them to the brink of wanting to end it all. It's also about how they all wind up at the Anchor Beach Rehabilitation Clinic, ran by Blake Solomon, and how their lives are changed for the better. As the title suggests, they each have to face their demons before they can conquer them. We get to learn very dramatically about the four people's lives because each one tells their tales in the first-person, present tense. The stories of Jason (a gang member), Rebecca (a drug addict and child prostitute forced into it by thugs who keep her doped up), Matthew (a homeless African refugee living on the streets), and Felicity (a reckless, high-risk taking, rich kid who cuts herself), will live with you long after you finish the book.

Blake Solomon gets a second chance at life when his metastatic cancer goes into remission in the prologue of Facing Demons. That's a big reason behind why he wants to give other people a chance, also. He's a great character, because though he has doubts like all people do, he keeps his resolve strong, despite some setbacks he experiences with the four other main characters. He deals with their problems in a kind, concerned, attentive manner, and it's apparent he deeply cares for his patients and wants to help them succeed on their road to recovery. Blake is described as looking "a bit like George Clooney, even has the stubble, but with a few more streaks of grey in his hair."

The stories of the characters Rebecca, Jason, Felicity, and Matthew are introduced in the novel's first chapter, "Their Stories." They present their lives in stark and honest vignettes that are powerful and moving, and the author makes them come alive for the reader. I feel fortunate that my two kids, one now seventeen and one who will be twenty-one soon, have not had to handle the problems and face the terrible situations that the teens of Facing Demons are forced to confront.
Rebecca, for instance, realizes as she's being used by criminal figures as a prostitute that she's heavily addicted to drugs. Though doing without them causes her to experience withdrawal symptoms, she decides to do just that, and hide the hypodermic syringes full of drugs that are given to her, until she has enough to carry out her plan of "escaping" from them through injecting several syringes full of drugs into her scarred veins, one after another, hoping to die from an overdose. She passes out, and doesn't remember much after that.

Jason is a violent gang member who beats up any rival gang members who infringe on his gang's territory. He has scars from several past battles, and many tattoos he displays proudly. He tells us that he was not always like he now is, but that he became a gang member "when my family was murdered by a vicious Negro gang." Since that time, he says that he has hunted the killers down, and that: "They are now all in jail, two of them paraplegic." He wouldn't likely have ever wound up at the Anchor Beach Rehabilitation Clinic, if it hadn't been for eventually meeting up with someone who shoots him.

I won't get into the reasons why the other two teens who are the focus of Facing Demons wind up at the clinic; I don't want to reveal any further information that might spoil your enjoyment of this finely crafted novel. When you read their stories, you'll wonder how the teens managed to last as long as they have, before they fall under the care and guidance of Blake Solomon. It's lucky or by God's good will and grace that they end up at the Anchor Beach Rehabilitation Clinic, for if they hadn't have made it there, they likely would have become casualties of their fates, their lifestyles, their poor decision making skills, and their backgrounds.

Facing Demons is an inspirational novel about teens facing some very desperate circumstances, of their own making, and much that is beyond their control. It is a great book that will move you profoundly as you read it, pull at your heartstrings, and perhaps jerk a few tears from your eyes. It's a novel that I recommend for any teens, though perhaps specifically for any teenager who is going through similar problems in his/her own life. Facing Demons is also a perfect novel for parents to read, along with their teens, and then use it as a tool to open up meaningful dialogue with them. If you like reading page-turning, touching stories of hope in spite of sometimes having to manage with the crappy hand that life has dealt you, I would highly recommend that you check out Facing Demons by Ashley Sanders today!