TV appearances Outline Reviews

NPR Radio Show, October 2013

Click to listen to interview with Amy Abrams

SiriusXM Radio Show, October 2013

Click to listen to interview with Amy Abrams

An online outline and review of The Cage and The Key

In the celestial realms, a bold soul assignment is proposed and bravely accepted: The embodiment of Celia Ann Barrens, born into an abusive family in Baltimore. While her father owns a multimillion dollar empire making him the city’s wealthiest man, his childhood manifests as cruelty to his children.

Celia’s celestial parents fear that their beloved daughter will lose her way in the illusion of separation from source during her mission on Earth. The difficult assignment demands a prerequisite of Celia, summoning the spiritual skills she possess be wholly relinquished. The battle is fought without mystical insight, without spiritual sword, as if sending a sightless soldier to war.

To endure, Celia turns to art making, in her teens. Her talent for abstract painting earns her entry into a top New York City art school, where she falls for her charismatic painting professor, Harlan Lee Wolfe, after he lures her to pose for a nude portrait.

When the affair inevitably busts up, Celia seeks to uncover the source of her foolish choices, sojourning to Arizona and New Mexico, encountering Native American shamans, soul retrievers and psychics, provoking epiphanies that define her relationship with the Divine and connect her to women throughout the whole of history, who have endured oppression of various design. The veils drawn across her eyes that hide her celestial origins are lifted, one by one, and she begins to comprehend her mission on Earth.

Ultimately, a “dark night of the soul” pushes her to face the most profound obstacle on the path to personal professional and spiritual fulfillment. Accompanying Celia as she faces her ultimate challenge, readers are privy to the secrets and power of her newfound skills.

Reviews

Celebrate and Protect your Imagination

Amy was recently featured in Karen Randau’s blog post here, where she discusses inspiration, reconnecting with your true self, and writing as a means of self-discovery. Read more+

Fan Mail

“I have read numerous debut novels this summer and none compare to your novel for content and writing style. The subject matter was touchy but so well written that I cannot remember when I so enjoyed reading a book. I hope you will write a sequel Thank you so much for writing this novel.”
–Cathy Guessford

“The Cage and The Key takes your from psychological drama of everyday existence to metaphysical reality of eventual peace.”
–Agnese Udinotti

From Amazon

Read all reviews on Amazon

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 out of 5 STARS

What a wonderful book! – posted October 9, 2013

I love The Cage and The Key! It is a real page turner. Celia, the main character, is unstoppable, traveling from one colorful hardship to another, meeting a host of characters leading her to an ultimate love filled destiny. One character, The Wolf. pulls Celia in with charm and guile and then, well.. Just a hint, The Wolf creates his own cage, throwing away the key. A must read. couldn’t put the book down.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 out of 5 STARS
“thinking woman’s” EAT,PRAY,LOVE – posted August 25, 2013
This book might be described as a “thinking woman’s” EAT,PRAY,LOVE. It will certainly be more valuable to anyone who is looking for a book that addresses some of life’s more serious issues and examines an array of possible paths to explore as one searches for wholeness and healing. Beautifully written, with great depth and soulfulness, and a heroine you will be pulling for from beginning to end. I hope we’ll hear more from Amy Abrams!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 out of 5 STARS

Heal Thyself! – posted July 4, 2013

Amy Abram’s book, The Cage and The Key, is a harrowing adventure/ travelogue through a healing process of epic proportions. Most women of today can relate to how deep wounding can perpetuate itself in a woman’s life . Ms. Abram’s tells this inspirational tale of courage with aplomb and humor. You will cheer her along and laugh and cry with Celia as she struggles to align with her true birthright of love and happiness. The Cage and the Key is a great and worthwhile read. I enjoyed it greatly and you will too.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 out of 5 STARS

Delightful and Inspiring Read! – posted July 8, 2013

Ms. Abrams’ first novel is a beautifully written and engrossing story of Celia Barrens- a relatable main character whose modern day plight is shared by many women in this generation. Ms. Abrams’ insightful, and oftentimes hilarious, characterization, story-telling ability, and capacity to share her wisdom with readers all comes through. I highly recommend it to readers who as she says ‘are looking for something more’ – in this case, it’s a delightful novel geared for women, but much more than your average beach read! I greatly look forward to her future work!”

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 out of 5 STARS

Get Ready to Stay Up All Night! – posted July 2, 2013

Amy Abrams is a good writer who knows how to tell a whopper of a story! Once I started, I couldn’t put the book down. She sets the stage with a story that makes you shudder, while at the same time, makes you want to find out what happens! And there’s plenty of wit along the way; Ms Abrams has a rare talent of being able to make you laugh when it’s really a very bad situation. That’s my kind of writer! And for those who like a spiritual twist … you got it, it’s there big time … you’re going to love it!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 out of 5 STARS

Beautifully structured, emotionally touching… – posted June 29, 2013

What a beautifully structured, emotionally touching and immensely readable novel. Many thanks for writing this story – a “coming of age” for the older woman, which reaches into one’s heart, twists it a bit, then reminds us to laugh a lot. In the spirit of a 21st Century Erica Jong, Amy Abrams shines! I am so looking forward to the next one, and a early fair warning to friends – this is coming to you for the Holidays.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 out of 5 STARS

Engaging and fantastically written… – posted June 24, 2013

Make sure you have plenty of time to read because you will not want to put this book down! A unique perspective of the life of a woman, and how it can often be more complicated than anyone realizes… The mark of a great novel: Chapters of this book left me crying and others left me smiling!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 out of 5 STARS

Stunning . . . a book to be pondered and shared – June 16, 2013

The Cage and The Key, is an ambitious and beautifully crafted first novel by a seasoned writer and natural storyteller. From the opening pages to its satisfying conclusion, the pace never slackens, the pieces of the story artfully interwoven to reveal the whole.
Part fantasy, part stark reality, the tale is a modern day take on the classic hero’s quest, with Celia the female protagonist. She is saddled with unremembered childhood sexual abuse that has sapped her spirit, though not her considerable artistic abilities. Painting provides her with solace and with an outlet for her creative energies.
As Celia struggles to discover and understand the source of her alienation as well as her penchant for being attracted to predatory and controlling men, her journey takes her from her unhappy home in the suburbs of Baltimore to the art world of New York City, which holds its own dangers, and eventually to the soul-nourishing desert region of the Southwest.
There, encounters with a Native American shaman, New Age healers and psychics help Celia along a path toward understanding and renewal. When environmental issues also became part of the developing story, I held my breath, wondering if the narrative was going to veer off into some PC abyss. I needn’t have worried. Those various elements, as well as the ethereal observers on high, serve the author’s purpose.
The writing is intelligent, witty and nuanced. An artist’s eye is evident in the vivid images of people and places. One of the book’s great appeals is the author’s distinctive voice which is unflinchingly honest, compassionate and wise. Despite being caught up in the fast-moving plot, I frequently found myself pausing to savor (and highlight) the lovely gems of wisdom and insight scattered throughout.
Stunning, in all senses of the word, this book is one to be pondered and shared.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 out of 5 STARS

Audacious Amy! – posted June 5, 2013

Ms Abrams’ first novel is a sensitive and perceptive appreciation of a traumatized woman’s struggle “to regain” her spirit.
The story is well told, with good use of metaphor and symbolism, touching on the topics that effect women today. It tells how the heroine endeavors to work through the problems in her life, using traditional and new wave mythic means to reach her goal.
Ms Abrams opens doors that older readers may not be aware of but are there for them to go through. She gives food for thought, moving the plot and characters along, to establish significant dimension in such a short book. Fun and tears and clothes and more…
I look forward to her next book!