Helen Winslow Black

covers of Songs My Mother Taught Me

Prequel to Songs My Mother Taught Me

SEVEN BLACKBIRDS

Newly released: Second Edition
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Stranded in Tulsa…
How do you extricate yourself from an abusive marriage? Law student Kim MacLean steers through a world that is funny, sad, ironic and absurd in pursuit of freedom for herself and her newborn son. Along the often bumpy but never dull road, she discovers that finding her own voice is the sine qua non for success.

**WINNER! ** NationaI Indie Excellence Award 2025, category “Divorce”

FINALIST! National Indie Excellence Awards 2025, categories: “Women’s Fiction” and “Regional Fiction: Southwest”

"Heartbreaking images fill the pages of this raw, painfully real novel—a rare, honest look at a survivor’s journey to rebuild, reclaim, and move forward. ...Black presents a perceptive account that speaks truth to too many women’s lived experiences.”
—Publisher's Weekly, BookLife Review
"At its heart, it is a book about survival and the small but vital sparks of strength that carry someone through darkness... This isn't an easy book, but it's an important one."
—Literary Titan
"...a flavor of discovery, recovery, and movement within its vivid saga…Kim's experiences will draw, delight, and define women who are on their own paths to realization and healing."
—D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
"Black presents a harrowing and introspective first-person portrayal of psychological abuse with unflinching authenticity."
—IndieReader
"A raw, unsettling, and sharply observed narrative of domestic violence and resilience."
—Kirkus Reviews
Available Now

Songs My Mother Taught Me

 Young lawyer Kim MacLean is determined to believe in second chances, so when a sea of butterflies descends, flowing around her as she leaves Tulsa and an abusive marriage behind, she takes it as a sign that her new path is off to a good start.

**FINALIST ** Foreword Review’s 2025 Indie Book of the Year Awards

**FINALIST** National Indie Excellence Awards 2025   “Literary Fiction” and “Family & Parenting,” 

**FINALIST** Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2025  

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“My mother once told me: The past is just the present of another day...”