Taree's memories and dreams invoke an image of a woman who smiles down at her. Is this just her own mind's creation as it reaches out for comfort and security? Or is this woman someone from the past that Taree just can't seem to remember? Explore Taree's world as she grows into a woman who triumphs over fear and discovers friendship and love.

Odious Initiation is a chiaroscuro collection of poetry inspired by the author's observation of spiritual abuse as it took place in both the virtual and physical worlds around her.

"The Crow Scare" introduces a young, accomplished kindergarten teacher who lives a quiet, satisfying life with her prize beagle. Although actually quite attractive, her indifference toward fashion and appearance often defines her as a woman of average beauty, a label she is only too happy to wear. When she receives an anonymous Halloween card, a gift bearing homemade candy also materializes on her porch. A friend, convinced that the gift holds malice, calls the police and an investigation then ensues. As her quiet, monotonous life is laid open, she is compelled to face repressed memories from the past--memories that have unwittingly secluded her from genuinely enjoying her present and which preclude her from planning a truly gratifying future. As new people are introduced into her life, the teacher, whose goal it is to help caterpillars to become butterflies, eventually understands that she, herself, has refused to leave the cocoon.

"The Uninvited" explores the effects of spiritual abuse. As Margaret Zeiler clings to cherished memories from her past, she finds herself wrestling with a growing uneasiness. Willing to make many sacrifices, she chooses to ignore that she often remembers things differently from the others that she works with. But soon she begins to doubt her very essence. When spiritual unity involves deception, tensions increase and her role as an outsider escalates. Her troubling dreams become her lifeline: sometimes the "struggle is not against flesh and blood" (Ephesians 6:12).