KISSING ASPHALT by Delicia Niami with a guest post and giveaway

A Day in The Life of Delicia Niami:

Delicia stands as a beacon of resilience and creativity whose story transcends the pages of her memoir series, ResilientAF. Delicia’s days are evidence that the enduring power of passion, adaptability, and the unwavering pursuit of dreams continue.

In the heart of the Santa Cruz mountains, amidst the scars of the CZU fire, Delicia’s days unfold with purpose and ingenuity. As she meticulously edits the pages of her upcoming memoir, Not My Circus, Delicia pours her heart and soul into ensuring that her stories resonate deeply with her readers. But her talents extend far beyond the realms of writing.

With a newfound passion for woodworking, Delicia breathes new life into the charred remnants of her beloved trees. Each venture, from the cautious beginnings of cutting board experimentation to the audacious leaps into crafting kitchen countertops, reflects her insatiable thirst for knowledge.

In 2020, when her disability began, Delicia set out on a quest to teach herself Spanish by immersing herself in telenovelas with English subtitles. Despite the challenges she faces, she remains undeterred, refusing to let her disability hinder her pursuit of lifelong learning and exploration.

Amidst the tranquil beauty of her home, Delicia finds solace and joy in the company of her three beloved cats. Each feline companion brings a unique warmth and comfort to her life, filling her days with love and companionship.

But amidst this bond, Delicia carries a profound sense of loss. Having recently bid farewell to her cherished companion, Six, on 5/4/24, was more than heartbreaking for her. Delicia and Six were compadres for over 22 years!

Delicia’s property holds a sacred place in her heart. Despite the daunting challenges she has encountered, the arduous journey of building her home on this fire-ravaged land stands as a testament to the strength in both Delicia and the sacred land.

For two years, Delicia has called a 24’ yurt attached to a converted 1976 Greyhound Rambler bus her home. This unconventional dwelling serves as another testament to her resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity.

Her soon to be home is more than just a mere dwelling; it symbolizes hope, resilience, and the unyielding determination to forge a future brimming with love and possibility amidst adversity.

In Delicia’s world, every moment is an opportunity to embrace the beauty of life’s journey, to find solace in the midst of sorrow, and to craft a life filled with love, resilience, and boundless possibility.

Delicia wants the world to know that we are all ResilientAF and that we can make it through anything that life throws our way. Sometimes, we have to do the hard work, but in the end you can always find the light and joy.

KISSING ASPHALT
by Delicia Niami

GENRE:  Memoir

BLURB:

Resilience isn’t inherited. It’s a hard-fought skill forged by our ability to pick up the broken pieces of our past and remake them into something new.

Meet four-year-old Delicia, a poor but carefree child who is about to have her world shattered. Along with her seven-year-old brother Nile, she is kidnapped from her Los Angeles home by her estranged father and taken to Iraq, a foreign world she has never known. This is just the beginning of a string of traumas, hardships, and assaults Delicia will endure throughout her tumultuous childhood.

Now an adult living back in California, Delicia Niami bravely recounts how she survived the unimaginable in her debut memoir. Kissing Asphalt, the first in her memoir trilogy, ResilientAF, grapples with the power of resilience, acceptance, and self-love. She revisits her terrifying past with vulnerability, compassion, and the honesty of a true survivor. Hold hands with Delicia as she faces her childhood scars and learns how to confront her fears, accept her true value and identity, and embrace her unique gifts. It’s a multi-decade roller coaster ride that is the beginning of her liberation, propelling her to live an inspired life and embrace her full human potential—a human potential she knows lives inside everyone, no matter what life has thrown at us.

For anyone who has struggled with childhood trauma, Delicia’s unflinching journey through darkness and back to light will resonate. She has decided to share her story publicly in hopes that it will serve as a guide to the many who have suffered in silence and continue to struggle against the daunting weight imposed by childhood trauma.

Excerpt 

The minute our father, Hazim, got us onto Iraqi soil, my mother lost all her parental rights. One moment, we were happy kids playing on the lawn of our San Fernando Valley home, and in the blink of an eye, we were ripped away and taken to a country we knew nothing about. Everything was new. New culture, new rules, new language—no mother, no mother, no mother!

I think my brother understood better than I did the consequences of being in Baghdad, but he was being strong for me. He had to protect his little four-year-old sister from knowing the reality of the situation. We had been kidnapped by our father and taken to another country far, far from home.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Delicia Niami is an acclaimed memoirist and LGBTQ+ advocate, whose raw and edgy storytelling has touched the hearts of readers worldwide. Residing in Santa Cruz and an alumna of UCSC, Delicia draws inspiration from her own journey of resilience and empowerment. Through her memoirs, she fearlessly addresses topics such as sexual abuse, trauma recovery, and the importance of self-compassion. Delicia’s work not only sheds light on difficult experiences but also empowers others to find their voices and embrace their own resilience. Her passion for advocacy shines through in her writing, making her a powerful voice for change and healing in today’s world.

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/delicianiami_author/

https://www.facebook.com/ResilientAFMemoir

https://www.facebook.com/kissingasphalt

https://www.instagram.com/resilientaf_memoir/

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