Praise for the Author
“I was there at the famous Improvisation comedy club in Hollywood in the early 80s. I was there to witness my good friend courageously take the stage and try her hand at stand up. Having satisfied her curiosity, it would be her one and only time.
Suddenly, 40 years later, I am here…holding in my hands Valerie’s very moving and insightful memoir. It’s a personal story of the trauma and tribulations she faced throughout her life. It is her journey of healing, lessons and ultimate resolve. I found
myself rooting for my friend on every page.
Quite honestly, Valerie’s determination, fortitude and courage doesn’t surprise me one bit because, lest we forget, I was there that night.”
— KEVIN NEALON, comic
“A poem that reads like a novel, Ashes in the Milk captures the wild roller coaster ride of a life that led one woman to become a respected Los Angeles psychotherapist. It is a journey through the rebellious free love days of the Seventies and Eighties, incorporating memories from infancy and the vivid dreams of her later years to make sense of a life that was nearly cut short at multiple junctures.”
— JIM CIRIGLIANO, documentary producer/writer
“In this poignant and poetic memoir, Valerie Johns unravels the tapestry of her life, weaving words that illuminate the corners of her pain and trauma, offering readers a raw and profound journey toward healing. Ashes in the Milk is a lyrical testament to the resilience of the human spirit and our capacity to gain enlightenment from the scars of our past.”
— CHRISTINA MCDOWELL, author of
After Perfect: A Daughter’s Memoir, and The Cave Dwellers
“Valerie possesses a rare talent for storytelling that transcends the boundaries of mere words, drawing readers into the depths of her personal journey. She has a remarkable ability to infuse her writing with raw emotion, authenticity and deep introspection. She fearlessly explores themes of identity, adaptation, and the universal struggles of finding one’s path in an ever-changing world. She’s gifted beyond belief and I’m incredibly grateful to have worked with her in the development of this remarkable book.”
— ANN RANDOLPH, Unmute Yourself, Your Story Matters
“We’ve all had ashes in our milk at one time or other.
The trick is, to drink it all down and write about it.
Valerie Johns finds the words,
she excavates the archeology of heartbreak,
the elixir of redemption, the after-taste of joy.”
— JACK GRAPES, author of
Method Writing, and The Naked Eye
“Years in the making, Valerie’s book is a revelation. Taking us deep into a world of pre-verbal awareness we only suspected might exist, she bravely excavates her own early trauma to reveal its influence on the intensely sensitive, exquisitely insightful therapist she became. An intimate, imaginative tour de force you won’t soon forget.”
— ELLEN GOOSENBERG KENT, documentary filmmaker
“This stunning poetic memoir, roars and whispers, as inner time and outer time are woven into intense, interlacing patterns. The result is a tapestry of spellbinding images that bring the reader into themselves. Valerie’s writing, at the same time archetypal and deeply personal, reaches into the many dimensions of our human experience and touches us, leaving a sign, kindling a light, planting a seed.”
— ELIANA CRESTANI, dreamweaver, dancer
“From the recovered memory of a hungry infant, to the wild seeking of an indomitable spirit, Ashes in the Milk explores how deeply one can be nourished by moments of both radiance and despair. This poetic novel is a memoir and an invitation. Johns offers a window into the raw and poignant experiences that shaped her as an artist, therapist and elder. But more than that, like a master alchemist, she shows her readers how to apply the heat of the poetic imagination to fragments of memories, stories and images to transform them into sacred ashes that fertilize the soul.”
— ELZANNE ROOS, imaginal therapist
“Valerie has excavated her early years with exquisite precision in this poetic memoir, weaving a narrative from the netherworld of memories and dreams. Her investigation has unfolded over years of living the examined, adult life as a sought-after therapist. The intimate story that emerges will be meaningful and inspiring to anyone who is working to heal scars or challenge core beliefs arising from the emotional losses, or even trauma, of childhood.”
— REBECCA CAMPBELL, nonprofit CEO