GREENE: Local author making waves with “The Truth”

By Editor | September 28, 2022 |

Local author D.F. Kennedy had a tent set up during Greene County Days in front of the courthouse signing autographed copies of her new book. “The Truth” is the first in a trilogy of books that Kennedy has planned that are semi-autobiographical and fictional at the same time. (Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press)

By Carmen Ensinger

There is an old saying that, oftentimes, the truth is stranger than fiction, and in the case of a new book by local author D.F. Kennedy, that is precisely the case. In fact, the truth is in the fiction.
Kennedy, 58, a disabled military veteran, lives in Eldred and her new book is entitled, most appropriately, “The Truth.” It is the first book in a series of three (followed by “The Whole Truth” and “Nothing But The Whole Truth”) that Kennedy calls the “So Help Me God” series.
Kennedy describes the book as a fictitious mystery, but the elements in the book arise from events that happened in real life – events that Kennedy had buried deep in the recesses of her mind until they were unlocked through hypnosis while she was in the military.
As Kennedy describes it, the military weren’t trying to find out any deep dark secrets from her – they were trying to find out why she could not wear a gas mask.
“I worked in an underground command post during the war in Iraq and I had a very high security clearance,” she said. “I had to be ready to go in a moment’s notice in case we were going to be shipped over to Iraq and then I discovered I had severe claustrophobia and I couldn’t wear the gas mask.”
Going back over the records, it was discovered that when Kennedy was in basic training, new recruits didn’t automatically get training in chemical warfare. She thinks that started after Desert Storm. Had she received that training, they would have learned of her inability to wear the close fitting mask.
“So, they decided to hypnotize me because they wanted to know why I had such claustrophobia and why I couldn’t wear the mask,” Kennedy said. “They kind of pressured me to do It. I had a high security clearance and since the had paid for all of my training, I felt like I had to do it, so I did. Biggest mistake of my life.”
Kennedy said the prologue of the book describes what she actually discovered during her period of hypnosis.
“What I discovered is that I had some severely repressed memories,” she said. “So, I had to meet the medical board and I was medically separated from the military and it ended my career – all because they wanted to see why I couldn’t wear a mask.”
It wasn’t the repressed memories that ended her career, though.
“What ended my career is because I became ‘non world-wide capable’ meaning that if I could not wear a mask and guarantee that if they shipped me off to Iraq that I would put on the gas mask and save my own life then I couldn’t go,” Kennedy said. “I was no use to them anymore.”
That hypnosis took place 30 years ago and since her separation from the military, Kennedy admits that the hypnosis had some bad effects on her and life hasn’t been all that easy on her. She suffered from anxiety and depression and was on a myriad of medication from the VA to control those conditions.
“I was in the military just shy of eight years and I absolutely loved it,” she said. “I would have stayed forever. I loved the rigor and routine. When I found myself back home, I didn’t know what to do.”
Then, in January of 2021, Kennedy said she woke up one morning and it was like she was her old self again.
“It is like I woke up and I was me again,” she said. “I was so energetic and I felt so good and I was ready to start telling my story so I sat down to write a memoir. My mom always wanted to write one but she said it was just too hard – too daunting.”
Kennedy found out the same thing.
“I was trying to relive the past and it was just too hard,” she said. “So, I took all of this ‘truth’ which is the truth, and I tucked it inside of this mystery and fictional murder, threw in a little romance and a whole lot of real stuff in there and it came out pretty good.”
Kennedy said another reason she opted to write a fictional book rather than a memoir is that it was simply much easier.
“When you are writing a memoir, you have to go back and find papers and prove everything you are saying in the book,” Kennedy said. “Well, a lot of the people were dead and it was so many years ago and I couldn’t find a lot of the paperwork. But the book has a whole lot of both my truth and my mother’s truth in it along with a little bit of fiction thrown in. Those who know me, will know which is which.”
Kennedy began writing the book in March of 2021 and had finished it in January of 2022 and then began the task of finding a publisher. After consulting with her agent, she decided self-publishing was the way to go.
“With a publishing house, you get 10 percent for royalties and they get to tell you what your cover looks like and what characters they like, especially for a three-book series like I have planned,” Kennedy said. “This was so personal to me that I didn’t like that at all. By self-publishing, I get 70 percent of the royalties and I get to decide every single aspect of this book and this series.”
The book is for sale on Amazon and is receiving rave reviews in addition to just being chosen as a finalist in the Reader’s Choice Awards.
Kirkus has this to say in their review: “An emotional and dramatic novel that achieves the difficult task of blending themes of trauma, healing, and romantic love. The story’s villains are offered no redemption, but the most important in Dahlia’s life are developed into complex characters who find forgiveness. Kennedy also makes the protagonist’s struggles with complicated decisions feel realistic and wisely leaves unexplored secrets for future volumes”.
Chicklitcafe has this to say: “is an engrossing thriller packed with intense scenes, relatable emotional conflicts and intriguing relevant characters. The author expertly weaves themes of family and romance with important topics about abuse, growth, healing and discovering a place of peace and happiness after such a difficult life lived.
But don’t take any book reviewer’s word for it, check it out for yourself. It is also available for download for Kindle as well and local public libraries may also be able to obtain a copy.