The Gifted Ones...A Memoir: 'The Gifted Ones' Trivia - What Does 'Gifted' Mean? The Title Explained...

A Memoir by Lisa Vaughn

Lisa was conservatively raised in a Catholic family in no-where middle America, where excitement is scarce and dreams are for sleeping. Little did she know, at age thirteen, she would suddenly find herself on a totally different path.

Through an unlikely chance meeting of a fellow classmate, she's surprisingly mesmerized, almost consumed, to befriend a girl who is obviously from the other side of the tracks...the cool side. Lisa does whatever she has to just to be accepted into this small club of coolness. Little did she realize, she was signing up for a lot more than social status. The two best friends find themselves innocently taking their relationship to a foreign level neither had experienced or saw coming.

A rollercoaster ride littered with choices and challenges Lisa never fathomed facing, especially in no-where middle America. She will find out what she is made of as she faces the consequences and struggles that come along with going against the grain.

Throughout their six year relationship, you will witness a touching story of human nature at its best...and at its worst. Showing just how far the human spirit can be challenged and pushed to a point where your “fight or flight” instincts naturally kick in. Struggling just to survive in a world where you are not like everyone else, but at the same time you really are. The daily struggles - both internal and external - are exhausting, yet necessary in their quest for one simple human need....love.

Finally breaking through all constraints that hold them back, reaching levels of one-ness that few actually obtain in a lifetime with their partner...only to find once they've reached that special place, it's not quite the right fit...for one of them, at least.

This contemporary story, told in the voice of the teen that lived it, will lead the reader through highs and lows, giving insight to the everyday challenges of the socially unaccepted, which will no doubt leave them rooting for the underdog. A true story of human resilience and the power of love...plain and simple.

*Please be advised, this memoir is real, honest, and raw. If you're looking for your typical 'sterilized' read, I'm not your girl - but if you're looking for a read that is written from the heart, certain to impact you on a human level, follow me! Have I got a story for you!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

'The Gifted Ones' Trivia - What Does 'Gifted' Mean? The Title Explained...

I've been asked this question a few times, so I thought I'd solve the mystery for those inquiring minds that want to know! Giving you the low down on just what 'gifted' means.

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Excerpt from Chapter 6: The Journey Begins

..we saw it as a sign that we were above rules and society. We were above mere mortals. We were clearly different from the herd, no doubt about that. We were Special...We were Gifted...We were Prophets.
We shared each other's thoughts, and finished each other's sentences. We had a mental telepathy that rivaled anything we knew was even humanly possible, recognizing we shared a truly unique gift that we believed no one else possessed. Experiencing a level of love that people just can't verbalize, or perhaps, never achieve. A feeling that is so pure, so honest, so deep. We were living in The Place. That “Place” where you are so connected that you literally become one. The word “bizarre” became a staple in our everyday language, as it seemed this new world of ours was just that, truly bizarre! We discovered a parallel universe that just housed the two of us. Living in that universe was surreal, it truly was pure magic.

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The word 'gifted' is actually a word Selina and I used to describe our unique relationship, our special bond. In our young teenage minds, we were one of the few - if not the only ones - to experience this level of commitment, this level of pure love. Described as 'The Place' in the book, I try to take the reader into the depths of that 'pureness' we experienced - a very hard thing to do, especially if one has not experienced this level of love before. We realized, even back then, this was truly something special...a 'gift' - something not everyone would get the privilege to experience in a lifetime. We felt we were the chosen ones, the gifted ones - even if society told us it was immoral and sinful, we knew different. It was good, and it was right, and it was our purpose to prove them wrong.

It had nothing to do with being above average intelligence or possessing extraordinary talents, unless you categorize the ability to love based strictly on the purist level of what love really is - seeing past gender and everything we had been taught as 'normal', challenging societies rules, then yes, I guess we were above average in that category. True 'trail-blazers' of the seventies, in our small world, that is. And yet oddly, here I sit...thirty plus years later, still asking that same haunting question: How can loving someone ever be wrong?

If you've read my memoir, I hope this gives you an insight as to where the title came from, and if you haven't read, then I hope it will spark some intrigue to follow me on my journey - seeing life through the eyes of the unaccepted - you just might be shocked where it leads me...and where it will lead you.

And as always, thank YOU readers, for supporting Indie authors and artist!