About

A former actress who appeared Off-Broadway and on the daytime drama Guiding Light, Katherine Mayfield is the award-winning author of a memoir about her lifelong obsession with cats, Emma's Gift: Furry Friends through Many Lifetimes; a memoir about her journey of healing from emotional abuse, The Box of Daughter; and numerous nonfiction books on recovering from bullying and dysfunctional family dynamics. She is honored to be listed in Marquis "Who's Who in America" 2018.

The Box of Daughter, Ms. Mayfield's debut memoir, won the New England Book Festival and Reader's Favorite Book Awards, and is based on the title poem in her book of poems, The Box of Daughter and Other Poems. Her short story, The Last Visit, which is based on the last time she visited her father in hospice care, won the Honorable Mention award in the Warren Adler Short Story Contest.

Ms. Mayfield teaches memoir writing on the East Coast and online.

Publication credits include Sasee magazine, The Women's Times, TinyBuddha.com, Dance Teacher Now magazine, Dance Spirit magazine, The Significato Journal online, the Greenfield Recorder, Fiftyshift.com, Women.com, and WomensMemoirs.com.

A Message from the Author

I've been writing for over two decades, focusing on helping people understand why interacting with dysfunctional family members causes such pain and lowers self-esteem, and providing information for moving beyond the grief and anger, and rebuilding self-esteem.

Bullying is not just something that happens in schools, it happens in families as well. When family members are overly critical, or consistently belittle you and your accomplishments, this is bullying.

If this is your experience, you're not alone. Because it usually happens behind closed doors, and because a family may actually present a very dignified facade when out in public (as my family did), we think it doesn't happen to other people. But it happens everywhere.

I hope my books are helpful for understanding your situation, healing your pain, and helping you to see that you're not alone. - Katherine Mayfield