The Mythmaker

The Mythmaker is a personal myth, a fiction based on actual events, and tells the extraordinary tale of Katie Neumann's childhood, interrupted when her mother dies in childbirth leaving seven children and their overwhelmed father to figure out what to do. What Katie faces next, most people can't imagine. The appearance of a mysterious--and unwanted--figure opens an enchanted space for all that follows.

About the Author :
Dr. Mary Harrell is a Jungian-oriented psychotherapist, author, and poet. She is an Associate Professor Emeritus at State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego. Dr. Harrell practices psychology through teletherapy in New York, and offers private Jungian seminars worldwide. Mary's interest in imaginal psychology has led her to investigate the way in which archetypal patterns manifest in experience. In addition to The Mythmaker, she is the author of Imaginal Figures in Everyday Life: Stories from the World between Matter and Mind (Chiron Publications, 2015). She lives with her husband Stephen in South Carolina, and can be reached at maryharrellphd.com and themythmaker.com.

Review :
Riveting. This reads like a classic. I savored each word, knowing this book is precious and I can only be read for the first time once. Dr. Randi Taylor, Clinical Psychologist Katie's non-linear story, told with language the beauty of which took my breath away, holds deep truths; The Mythmaker will speak to the minds, bodies and spirits of both teen and adult readers. Katie is my kind of hero--vulnerable, sad, bewildered; she doesn't recognize the strength, wisdom, and integrity she possesses and manifests. Though she is perceived as the girl who lost her mother, and she struggles with this new identity, she actually takes steps that show us that her mother is not lost to her: she talks to her mother as she experiences new events and relationships, and she follows where her angel leads. She has much to contend with on her quest, but she is not alone. Sharon Kane, PhD, Author of Integrating Literature in the Content Areas: Enhancing Adolescent Learning and Literacy and Literacy and Learning in the Content Areas This book is for all of us. Readers who have lost a parent in their childhood years will relate to Katie's feelings and yearnings. Some will have their own stories like Katie's and realize that they were never alone, and the rest of us will wish we did. Jean Ann PhD, Author and Linguist at State University of New York at Oswego Bravo. The Mythmaker is soft and comforting, sorrowful and angry. Like life itself, it's real. I loved the ending, which is both surprising and enormously satisfying. Mary Harrell didn't build a Hollywood ending but shows us how "one's story" changes as we look back at it - from a future, more mature perspective. Diane Croft, Author of the Nautilus Silver Award Winner 2017, The Unseen Partner The Mythmaker by Mary Harrell gently and thoughtfully brings the reader, any reader of any age, to understand and experience that, in our own lives, we can move from a place of sorrow and suffering to a place of love and acceptance - one might even say enlightenment - when we are willing to listen, watch and be open to the power of story and symbol. Christine Walsh, Ed.D, Co-Director, Oswego Writing Institute; State University of New York, Oswego