At sixteen, Liz had already trudged through hell and back. Having bounced from one foster home to another most of her life, she finally finds herself in a stable home. But stability poses its own challenges after a life of unsteady fooling, and Liz grapples to find a way to be still. Her past still plagues her in this new world. Everything feels wrong, she is at odds with her own body and mind, and struggling to survive.

Liz finds an unlikely friend in Alex, a girl who may not share Liz’s troubled past but strives to understand, even though it means becoming a pariah at school. With Alex’s help, Liz searches for the strength to confront her demons, and the two see each other through addictions, transitions, and the dangerous consequences of coping.

Unable to let herself trust and love, even in this new space with new support, Liz’s trauma begins to drag her under. Some secrets kill, and some truths fight to stay hidden. Unearthing them all will require Liz to trust others despite a lifetime of learning just how dangerous that is.

The Secrets that Kill Us deals with many difficult topics that may be triggering for some readers. Most of the topics are implied while a few are explicit.

Childhood sexual abuse (implied)
Sexual assault (implied)
Drug use (explicit)
Alcohol use/abuse (explicit and implied)
Intravenous drug use (Explicit)
Child abuse (explicit and implied)
Explicit language
Homophobia (explicit)
Suicide (explicit)
Self harm (head banging)
Bullying (explicit)

Published on 5 April 2022 by Cinnabar Moth Publishing LLC

Cover by Ira Geneve

ISBN: 978-1-953971-38-8 (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-953971-39-5 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-953971-40-1 (EPUB)