~They Loved with a Closed Fist:

When Love Hurts~

Purchase at Amazon ISBN-10: 154315932X They
Loved with a Closed Fist: When Love Hurts. Kingdom
House Publishing Inc.

MEMOIR $19.95 Kindle edition: $14.95

Author Carmen Love

http://authorcarmenlove.wixsite.com/carmenlovef
reedom

Author’s Contact Information

A young mother of four is forced into the dark Email: authorcarmenlove@outlook.com
streets after she discovers the man that she
married isn’t the charming man she thought he
was. When she escapes, he pursues them
relentlessly. Poised between life and death, and *Highlights of the Story: Next Page
homeless with four small children, she is destitute
but determined, forsaken but not forgotten.
Praying with a faith suddenly so intense, so
absolute, that it had filled her with a calm certainty
that her prayers would be heard. Lurking, was a
shadow of dismay, but something grew coldly
determined inside of her to continue her journey in
spite of the obstacles and challenges before her,
which led her to discover the deep unyielding love
inside of her.

“There is nothing more agonizing than

bearing an untold story.” Maya Angelou
~~~ ABOUT THE BOOK ~~~
They Loved with a Closed Fist is for anyone who is
struggling with addiction, low self- esteem, family
violence, sexual abuse, eating disorders and
suicidal ideation. It is a story which embodies hope
in a seemingly hopeless situation. It clearly depicts
the journey of a young, timid, lonely little girl, on a
quest to be loved and accepted. The reader
becomes immediately emotionally invested in her
mother’s unshakable faith as she struggles to
manage her home and care for her five small
children in spite of many adversities.
What allows the reader to truly invest in this story
is the author’s ability to be completely vulnerable.
She went back in her life and visited dark places,
places brimming with pain and scars, and
eloquently revealed this pain to the reader without
holding back anything. For this reason, the reader
cared about the author’s plight. When she hurt, we
hurt. When she was scared, we were scared. When
she felt hopeless, we felt her despair. We cared
about her plight and we wanted to know how
things would eventually work out for her, which
kept the pages turning.
Everyone needs to read this story. Man, woman,
child—no matter the race, no matter the age, no
matter the situation. This is a story that embodies
hope. Similar to a white rose laying unharmed
upon a bloodied battle ground, this story reaches
out to the reader and says, God is not a respecter
of persons. If He did it for me, He’ll do it for you.
No matter your situation, there’s always light at
the end of the tunnel. All you have to do is keep
the faith and keep pressing forward. God will do
the rest.
~~~Author Bio~~~
Carmen Love is an African American mother of
four children and violence prevention counselor
for over 17 years. Love graduated at the top of
her class and was named outstanding student of
her college at Metropolitan State University in St.
Paul, Minnesota.
In May of 2000, she led the graduation
procession and received a medallion and a
plaque, shortly after, delivering the student
address to an audience of about 3000 people
including her four children.
She was honored with: The Reatha Clark King
Award. The Zonta International Club Award. The
American Association of University Women
Award. The St. Paul Business and Professional
Women Award, and the Bonnie Luke Award.
Love, who is soft spoken, and has lived a lifetime
bearing a timid nature, became a spokesperson
for Metropolitan State University and has
participated in several public speaking
engagements intended to bring awareness to
domestic violence.
Well known for her excellence in academic
performance, Love was honored in December of
1999 with a scholarship in her name. The Carmen
Love Endowment Scholarship for low-income
students who struggle financially, just as Love had
herself. Metropolitan State University has
endorsed They Loved with a Closed Fist and is now
a part of their library collection.
A philosophy Ms. Love finds most endearing is…
There is immense beauty in the ashes of life if you
take all of the anger, hostility, resentments, and
pain, and channel it into a positive direction.
~Author Carmen Love
 enforcement to gain a better
understanding into the dynamics of
abuse and how women are perceived
when they cry out for help.

 To dispel religious beliefs that it is

the will of God for women to remain
in abusive relationships.

 To deepen the faith of those who

have lost hope and assurance that
there is a way out and a light at the
end of the tunnel.

~~~ Purpose of this Book~~~  To empower women and educate

men on family dynamics, and
demonstrate how abusive behavior
effects the family, community, and
 To create awareness about domestic
globally.
abuse, how to recognize the signs of
abuse, family dynamics which
 In memory of my dear friend Lori
contribute to grooming women into
Ann Spears Newson 1963-1997.
ending up in abusive relationships,
Mother of three. Died suddenly June
and men into becoming perpetrators
1997 by the hands of her husband.
of abuse.
May you rest in heaven.

 To inform women who are currently

involved in domestic abuse situations
to become empowered and inspired
by my story.

 Carmen’s story is the story of many

whose voices have not been heard.
Voices which remain silenced by
fear.

 Abusers to realize the lasting

emotional damage that is done to
their children when they are violent
and how this vicious cycle continues
to perpetuate itself from generation
to generation.

 To inform women, men, children,

Highlights of: ‘They Loved with a Closed
adolescents, social workers, and law Fist’
*Ms. Love was bullied and beaten at age sixteen by
a violent sibling who stalked her in her well into her
adult years, threatening her life, and wishing she
were dead to keep her quiet. He was later convicted,
sentenced, and incarcerated.

* Being held captive with a knife to her throat, Ms.

Love escapes her abusive relationship from her
husband three days after giving birth and having
major surgery by leaping from an upstairs window.

* Ms. Love is eight months pregnant. While her

abuser locks her in a room, sits on her chest, spits in
her face, slaps her repeatedly, and beats her in the
head, the children can be heard downstairs wailing. ~~~Author Carmen Love and Family~~~

(Kimberly, Phillip, Timothy, & Caylen)

*She is dragged into a closet with the door shut.
Trapped in a tiny closet and screaming, her abuser
holds the door closed with his foot and brags about *Ms. Love’s abusive husband tracks them down and
his sexual conquests with other women. slashes both arms with a steak knife after being
spurned. Vengeful, He takes off with Ms. Loves van
in the middle of winter and never returns. The
*After sixty days of being homeless with four small children are cold, angry, and humiliated.
children including a six week old baby, the family is
kicked out of a shelter after being told their time is
up. Ms. Love wanders into the darkness cradling her
newborn and trying to console her three small
* After several months of homelessness things
children who are hungry and scared.
finally begin to look up. Relentless prayers are
answered and dreams fulfilled. Ms. Love realizes
that after it is all said and done, miracles do
happen…………….. If you just believe!