I Am You: I Am You (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780996820929)

TortoisWind is a freelance writer who enjoys expressing reality, actuality, philosophies, and fantasies through a creative arrangement of words. Her childhood was split between the East Side of Tacoma, WA, and the Walking Horse Capital of the World, Shelbyville TN. Tacoma in the late 80's and most of the 90's became the stomping ground for many gangs. Many sets were represented by different cultures. Not only were the gangs represented by Blacks, Whites, Cambodians, Samoans, and Hispanics, but the entire community was diverse. Having parents that were active military and living in an area full of violence introduced TortoisWind to a protected lifestyle. She lost a few friends very young to gang violence and the problem was growing rapidly. Each summer she would visit family in Cleveland, OH and Shelbyville, TN. One summer at the age of 15 she flew into Tennessee and never returned to Tacoma. Shelbyville, TN - a small town about an hour south of Music City, USA (Nashville), became home for her remaining high school years. She experienced racism for the first time. She entered the school and witnessed the white kids wearing shirts with the confederate flag flying across their chest - proud. She heard a white boy yell down the hall calling a black girl a "nigger" loud and clear for everyone to hear. Teachers were present and just continued to persuade kids to get to their classrooms. The white boy was never corrected, and this moment changed her life. TortoisWind became very offended and angry. She began to question her family about what was going on in the South. The majority of her college years were spent at Middle Tennessee State University, where she received her degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. In 2001, after graduation TortoisWind really began to question her position on this planet. She was working in Corporate America and hated every minute of it. The money was good, but could not ease her mind. No matter how much money she was making, it just wasn't enough. Something was missing - she wanted freedom and love. After being laid off in 2009, and continuously going through relationship struggles, she decided to follow her passion and began to release her pain through writing. Her connection with the universe and the spiritual world has influenced her first published works entitled, I Am You. Now her goals have evolved. It is her personal mission to bring peace to this planet. Peace for all people.