The Trouble with Truth

Beth Kelly, 1968

It was because of my last post about Bill Reimers first book, Icicles in the Park, that prompted Sally Bartley Moss to let me know that another of our Burbank High 1968 classmates is a published author — Elizabeth Kelly Stephenson whom we remember as Beth Kelly!

I quickly found her book on Amazon, which describes her work as “A riveting, brilliantly written debut memoir, The Trouble with Truth is a story of hope and transformation, of family and forgiveness.”

Beth Kelly Stephenson’s book is available on Amazon.

Beth Kelly feels trapped in a continuous cycle of destructive relationships. First there’s Roland, the handsome ski instructor who turns out to be a liar and a drunk, fully capable of threatening Beth with a gun to prevent her from leaving him.

Breaking free from Roland after she makes a failed suicide attempt, Beth meets tight-lipped Sam, who is, sadly, Roland redux. Meanwhile, Roland still calls whenever he needs money, twisting Beth’s emotions for his own gain.

Beth seems doomed to continue making self-destructive choices, both in her relationships and career, until renowned therapist and author Jean C. Jenson (Reclaiming Your Life) changes everything. Jenson helps Beth see the world truthfully, a painful process but ultimately one that liberates Beth. As Jean notes, “The truth will set you free. But first it will make you miserable.”

Beth Kelly Stephenson today

According to the author page, “Elizabeth Kelly Stephenson was born in Santa Monica, California, but escaped the smog of Southern California at age twenty-eight to marry her ski instructor after a whirlwind courtship. The marriage predictably didn’t pan out, but the blue skies of Idaho’s Wood River Valley had a hold on her. She stayed on there for fifteen years, working as Executive Director of the Crisis Hotline, a twenty-four hour crisis line, where she dealt daily with issues of domestic violence, child abuse, and mental illness, themes that drive her memoir, The Trouble with Truth. Elizabeth now lives with her second husband in Bend, Oregon, in a house with a big front porch, three entitled cats, two poodles, and two honorary poodles. She is fast at work on her second book, a novel, Liz Bits — a story about what happens when a single mom’s father comes to live with her after he is paroled from prison after twenty years.”

Latest reviews of Beth’s book

I absolutely loved reading some of the reviews of Beth’s book, and especially appreciated that you can read previews of the text by clicking here. Her conversational writing style is immediately engaging, and draws you into the story.

I was able to make contact with Beth who tells me that after being in Idaho for fifteen years, she and her second husband briefly moved to the San Luis Obispo, CA area  and stayed four years. While in California she absolutely loved her job as a tour guide at Hearst Castle and learned that she loved to tell stories and involve her visitors with the wonder of the place. But they missed the Northwest and moved to Oregon in 2009 where her husband has ten grandchildren.

She hopes to publish her second book, a novel called Liz Bits, within a year.

Congratulations, Beth, on your accomplishments as an author!