Kindle Edition Amazon Write2Empower Write2Empower Gentle Recovery Category:  Drama Publisher: Waterloo University Type: Fiction Pages: 215 Copyright: Nov 2012 ISBN-13: 9780988149601 Dancing Softly, released Nov. 14, 2012, is a story of hope and overcoming. It’s a story about the resilience of the human spirit and the touch of a gentle God. Shortlisted for The Word Guild Award. April 2013 Sixteen-year-old Jamie DeSouza runs away from home to escape from years of sexual and emotional abuse. Living on the streets of Toronto, she survives the only way she knows how – by becoming tough, hard, angry...a fighter. When her freedom is taken away, Jamie finds herself locked in a psychiatric ward where she struggles to maintain hope. Caught in the mental health system, Jamie is stripped of her dignity and even basic human rights. It’s in that dark place she learns to fight back in ways that ultimately free her. The people Jamie meets along the way teach her that dancing softly in life is far more powerful than the use of violence. .       Excerpt “We are not powerless specks of dust drifting around in the wind, blown by random destiny. We are each of us like beautiful snowflakes, unique and born for a specific purpose.” Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, M.D. Life’s markers are never just for one moment in time. Every event holds a key. Each builds upon the other and becomes an indicator towards a higher purpose. Too many of us have no way of knowing this – at least not while we’re fighting the darkness that colours our existence. Unfortunately, for some, life holds no meaning; their lives, no value.

Dancing Softly
"WOW! Gripping hardly describes it! I couldn't put the book down for long. It was raw and intense, especially at the beginning, but I believe it needed to be that way to keep me cheering for Jamie through her time in the mental hospital...wanting her to get out....knowing she would! I'm in Awe. I believe you were hand picked by God to write...to let others know...to bring HOPE! I'm finished and I'll be sharing. (No wonder the printing press went down!) but he can't stop God and His purposes from prevailing! Julie Huff

Dancing Softly
Dancing Softly - "A powerful story of hope and courage that shows nothing is impossible to overcome if we learn to dance more softly. With a rare insight and honing her craft, Nikki challenges the reader to trust that good can come out of every situation no matter how hopeless it might seem. The beautiful message in Dancing Softly is that everyone's life is a gift and has value and purpose. I highly recommend reading this book." Melvina Walter
Executive Dir. of The Halton Women's Centre


Dancing Softly
"Just finished reading Dancing Softly! I really, really love it! It should be made into a movie as incredible as the book. It reads like non-fiction and is very powerful. Staggering stats at the end. This is a story that needs to get out there!!!" Roger LeBlanc
Producer Director at Novus Vita Productions