Resident’s new novel offers hope on path to recovery

Author to visit Canton library June 7

Gerald and Linda Carmichael used to take their children on camping trips to Maine when they were young. Jerry Carmichael recalled that there was no television to watch or radio to listen to, so he used to make up stories to amuse his family. His children enjoyed going out for a sail during those trips, even when the weather was foggy. Carmichael then made up another story designed to keep his children safe on shore.

Jerry Carmichael

The story was about fog pirates who carried swords and only sailed when it was foggy. He would incorporate clanging sounds into his story, telling his children that the sounds meant the pirates were getting closer. The story was successful in two ways: It stopped his kids from asking if they could sail during inclement weather, and it led his son James, now a major and test pilot in the Air Force, to suggest an idea to his dad.

“He challenged me to write the kids’ story and make it into a book,” Carmichael said.

He set himself to the task, and last month his completed novel, Two Tears, Dinnda, was released by Page Publishing. The book is the first in a trilogy. Opening in 1916, the series explores the lives of a seafaring family and other characters while weaving in how they deal with addiction issues and the path to recovery. Carmichael will speak and sign copies of the book at the Canton Library on Tuesday, June 7, at 7 p.m.

Carmichael served in the military for four years and then worked for the Veterans Administration for 36 years as a social worker. He worked with Vietnam veterans who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was the New England coordinator for homeless veterans. Now retired, he has a private practice and sees patients 35 to 40 hours a week, is a member of the Canton Conservation Commission, the Canton Historical Society and Historical Commission, and oversees the Community Garden. He found time to write the book by going to his office hours before his first patient arrived at 7 a.m.

The characters in Two Tears, Dinnda include an aging merchant marine, a Jamaican queen, and a married couple named Dinnda and Berry. Berry drinks too much and when Dinnda and Berry are involved in a competition, Berry’s drinking increases to the point that Dinnda feels that she has no other choice but to leave him, something that Carmichael says happens in life.

“When you’re in the midst of addiction,” he explained, “the other person involved has the responsibility to take control of their life and move on.”

All proceeds from the sales of the book are being used to fund Dinnda’s Journey to Recovery (DJR), a nonprofit created by Carmichael to help people in recovery. In addition to reducing the number of people experiencing the negative outcomes of addiction, DJR seeks to provide support for people in recovery to pursue an approved work project or hobby in order to sustain their recovery.

“If they don’t develop a passion for something they do or like and they have limited competencies in social relations,” Carmichael said, “the likelihood for a successful recovery diminishes.”

Carmichael used the example of someone who has an interest in learning to play the guitar to explain how DJR works with clients. To begin, DJR will pay for six guitar lessons for the person. If the experience goes well, DJR will set up another six lessons. If that experience is equally positive, DJR will pay for another six lessons. Following that, the next step would be to purchase a used guitar for the person and find someone in the community to mentor the new musician. He said that DJR will seek volunteer coaches and mentors to be trained to work with people in recovery.

In addition to the book, DJR has created a symbol of addiction to recovery in the form of two teardrops. The teardrops are back-to-back and resemble two letter Ds. They represent Dinnda’s heart and symbolize the emotional trauma of her heartache.

The teardrops are available in bracelets, necklaces, and pins. The jewelry has a dual purpose. All proceeds from sales of jewelry will benefit the DJR mission, and the teardrops serve as a signal to others that the person wearing it is in recovery.

Carmichael said that recently two women noticed that the other was wearing the same piece of teardrop jewelry. Once they realized that, they felt comfortable enough to approach each other and begin a conversation on addiction and recovery.

For more information on Two Tears, Dinnda as well as Dinnda’s Journey to Recovery, go to dinndasjourneytorecovery.org. The book is also available for purchase on Amazon.com.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Jun 3 2016. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.