Asbenson - The Girl in the Treehouse

PRAISE FOR

The Girl in the Treehouse will rip your heart open as you walk through the thorns of Jennifers childhood, then sew it back together with threads of forgiveness and love. A powerful literary journey flowing with wit, humor, heartache, and inspiration.

Pamela Cangioli, Literary reviewer

Author Jennifer Asbenson is a brave women. This book is amazing, and I recommend to anyone that is suffering from PTSD. After everything she went through, here she standsa true warrior.

Stacey Mullens, Psychiatric RN

I stayed up all night reading this book. Amazing! I wanted to hug the author through it all. Such evil, but Jennifer endured with bright resilience. I felt like she was staring into my soul with love and hope.

Jan Sportswood-Sumner, Bipolar

Inspirational and emotive storytelling at its finest! The Girl in the Treehouse is a raw, poignant, and powerful read. Jennifers story bears testimony to the strength, courage, and determination of the human spirit. Though heartbreaking at times, it acts as a reminder that it is possible to overcome trauma and embrace the warrior within.

Rebecca Millar, Bestselling mental health author

Gripping and emotional, and leaves you wanting to keep reading more and more. Heartbreaking and amazing. A must read.

Charles Erwin, PTSD survivor

Copyright 2019 by Jennifer Asbenson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email the author at .

First Edition

Softcover ISBN: 978-1727802245

Book Consultant and Designer: Patricia Bacall

Editor: Jennifer McGrath

Proofreader: Proofed to Perfection

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper.

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www.thegirlinthetreehousebook.com

This book is dedicated to the eight angels in heaven whom Ive never met but know very well.

O ver the years, I have received numerous letters through social media, postal mail, and other outlets. Many people have referred to me as a warrior in these letters. The term is gladly accepted. As a warrior, I promise to encourage you and to inspire you to follow your dreams. I also promise to remind you that you, too, are a warrior.

My Dear Warriors,

It gives me great pleasure to know youre willing to fight for your dreams, regardless of the disappointments and scars that youve had to live with. Im glad youve come to seek out the things that really matter in life. So, despite the distractions and the misinformation bombarding you, you are still able to hold your head high and maintain your focus and perspective.

I can imagine the many twists and turns that have happened to you and how youve made it through each one of them, notching various badges of honor on your way through. It thrills me to announce that whatever your brilliant mind can imagine can one day be your reality.

Our ability to maintain an imaginative frame of mind amid the circumstances surrounding us is the most powerful weapon we have to fight against the harmful behavior of negative and manipulative people around us. If you can remove yourself from these people, please do so. If you are trapped, you must love yourself enough to free your mind from the situation.

You have the power to be your own storyteller; dont let anyone tell your story for you. You are not obliged to give in to people who try to impose their own interpretation of things on you. You must be strong, forgive, and forge ahead. Do not allow others to get behind the wheel of your life.

Think of where you would have been today if you had allowed many of the people in the pastwho wanted to walk all over you and run your lifeto have their way. But for the most part, you are here today because of the choices youve willfully made. That highlights how crucial your will has been to your journey on this mortal planet.

When theres a will, theres a weapon, and your will is the magic wand that can turn your dreams into reality. You hold the magic.

That assertion is applicable to any circumstance in which you might find yourself, including sexual abuse, child abuse, mental illness, and even life-threatening situations. So, even when your mental faculties arent functioning the way they should, you still have all the internal resources needed to turn things around.

History is replete with countless people who overcame huge odds against them and achieved things that others thought were impossible. Their remarkable turnaround was mostly due to their resolution and perseverance to wrestle the odds to the ground. You, too, can confront your circumstances with a similar resolve, in order to bolster your chances of coming out on top.

The day you find the faith I have in you, within yourself, is the day you will conquer the world.

To Gregg, I thank you for your unyielding faith in me and your generous and relentless support.

I wish to thank all the people who joined forces with me to turn my abstract book idea into a full-fledged book. Im sending the warmest regards to my brilliant editor, Jennifer McGrath, my phenomenal book consultant and designer, Patricia Bacall, and my diligent proofreader, Pamela Cangioli, all of whom helped me refine and polish my work. Each of you provided my work with inputs from the sixth sense, which Im yet to possess. You are the turners of dreams into realities.

I also wish to give special thanks to my friends and family who have encouraged my book to the moon and back. Youve helped fuel the fire in my bones that inspired me to write every single page of this book. I am grateful that you have all invested tremendous amounts of positive energy and empowering vibes into my life.

And to you, my lion-hearted warrior, I want you to know that I can feel your energy right here inside my soul, even if you are light-years away from my location. All I can see are blessings, blessings, and more blessings surrounding you. I see the universe dealing you a favorable hand as you go up against the odds. And for what its worth, I completely and totally know that you have the strength to overcome the forces you think might be working against your best interests right now. It only takes one persons belief to change things around, and I have faith in you. Be the warrior you were destined to be. If I did it, you can too.

M y name is Jennifer Asbenson. I am forty-three years old, and I live in a treehouse.

My life has been a roller-coaster ride. This treehouse feels like a safe place to be completely vulnerable, so let me start by telling you something that shocks most people. When I was nineteen, I escaped from a serial killer who murdered eight women. I am the only one who got away. But the kidnapping and escape are just a small part of my life.