Her Perilous Journey: First Woman Trilogy, Book One (Volume 1)

Praise for Hair Suit (first edition of the current book)

Lorena is a very talented writer; wry and wise and adventurous.
--Anne Lamott, Author
Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace

Like the best, truest comics, the narrators humor is tinged with loss and sadness, contained by the spare language of a storytellerReginas life, careening from adventure to disaster to travesty to sweet epiphany, is what gives this book its undeniable verve.
--Fred Setterberg, Author
Lunch Bucket Paradise

This is dazzling. Very funny. Very original. It has that kind of authority that says, dont mess with meI know what Im doing, and you can take this on its own terms or walk away. And theres an invigorating moral sensibility at work here, a real affirmation of life.
Mary Jane Moffat, Author
The Times of Our Lives: A Guide to Writing Autobiography and Memoir

Praise for Her Perilous Journey

Lorena Cassadys writing is just as gutsy, determined, and energetic as her character, Regina IV. Its the kind of coming of age story we havent read before, not in a womans voice.
--Patrice Vecchione Author
Step into Nature: Nurturing Imagination & Spirit in Everyday Life
The Knot Untied (Poetry)

I dont deserve this pleasureI should be out hauling wood in the high wind. This is just spellbinding. Every word considered. Every image fresh.
--William MacBride
Virginia farmer, Writer

Her Perilous Journey is Book One of the First Woman Trilogy. It is the hilarious, sometimes harrowing story of Regina IV, the last in a long line of strong-willed, dispossessed Southern women, born into troubled times. She is an adventurer, hungry to explore every nook and cranny of life, but finds herself desperate to escape a neglectful and brilliant mother. Her real father has disappearedonly his myth remains. Misguided and foolhardy, the young Regina sets out on her picaresque adventures through the colorful decades of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Will the beatnik Moriarity give her what she needs, or only make things worse? With acid wit, mixed with the bittersweet language of a wounded heart, Regina shares her wide-ranging encounters with the male species, quirky members of her generation, and a Native American spirit guide named Ramon. Her Perilous Journey is Book One of the First Woman Trilogy, the unfolding story of a woman striving to make peace with herself, her culture, her country's violent history, and a stubborn, silent universe.

Disclaimer by the author:
This book is a picaresque memoir, told by an unreliable narrator. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is unlikely, for I have killed off many who are living, brought the dead back to life, turned men into women, tedious people into potted plants and well meaning citizens into liars and rascals. The author earnestly hopes that the scores of tall tales, lies and alternative realities spoken herein in the name of art, will be overwhelmed by the deeper truths that form the foundation of this book.

I should not hesitate to say that there is a measurable amount of sexual language, sexual acts and unfortunately some violence, but none of it gratuitous or extreme. The modern phrase is: This Book Contains Adult Content. You have been warned.

Two random quotes:

Reinforced brassieres elevated their immense mammary glands and forced them into the shape of two nuclear missiles pointed at whoever was standing in front of them. And the twins were tall. They towered over most people and rolled them back on their heels. Their skin was ruddy, their eyes were blue and their hair was prematurely white. When they marched down the street together, they were vaguely reminiscent of a Fourth of July parade.

I honestly dont remember what it was like when Moriarty was making love to me, because I was thinking about other things. He didnt know where anything was and neither did I.