After her first eighteen years in the Northeast, Lynn C. Tolson moved to the Southwest where she engaged in careers in real estate and property management. During those years, she survived post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which manifested in addictions and suicide attempts. Through the therapeutic process, she determined the causes of her dysfunction, which included childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence. Ultimately, she was able to achieve a life that reflects health and happiness. Her memoir, Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor’s Story, illustrates physical, emotional, and spiritual transformation; her story offers a message of hope. Tolson moved to the Midwest where she returned to college to obtain a degree in social work. She has also overcome breast cancer. She lives in the Rocky Mountains where she works as an artist, author, and advocate.

Author Lynn C. Tolson appeals to the reader from the first paragraph of her powerful memoir Tolson uses creative non-fiction to tell her story, fascinating the reader with metaphor, prose, and poetry. Tolson tells her riveting story in first-person narrative, enabling the reader to bond with her authentic voice. Readers can visualize the settings, plot, and characters due to the descriptions and dialogue. This is not an average auto-biography: the book combines story-telling with self-help, affirmations, meditations, and therapeutic concepts. The reader is challenged to explore social problems within the context of family relationships. However, Tolson uses her clever wit to offer the reader comic relief. Readers say that they simultaneously laughed and cried. Some readers say that reading the book changed their lives. Readers say they view themselves and their families with a fresh perspective.

Lynn C. Tolson, in her own words:
“First I lived my story. Then I was numb to it. Then I was in denial. Then I suppressed it. Then I remembered it. Then I regurgitated it in therapy. I examined and felt it. Then I wrote about it.

When I was in my twenties, my therapist told me I had a story to tell that would help others to find hope. However, it was not until my forties, when another therapist offered the same suggestion, that I took it seriously. I wrote what has become Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor’s Story.

Overall, it took me twenty years to write my story. The book began when I put pen to paper in journal writing sessions. The conversations with my counselors were available from early diaries. Journal writing was a cathartic experience. Themes emerged regarding the ramifications of sexual abuse, like drug addiction and suicide attempts. Writing a book was difficult because I had to find the courage to face my fears: What would others think? What would my family think? My conviction to tell the truth became greater than the difficulty of writing a personal story. I realized that I was writing about personal yet universal issues. Eventually, a story of transformation to wholeness evolved. My desire to encourage others to seek healing became greater than my need to remain private.

We are accustomed to keeping our secrets, hiding our flaws, and stuffing our feelings. Sexual assault, addiction, and suicide are unsolved social problems that carry stigmas. The stigmas cast a code of silence that do not solve problems. The result from not speaking about the crime of sexual assault is too often tragic. Thus, there is a need for real stories of recovery. By bringing my dark secrets to light, it is my hope that others who have had similar events will know that they are not alone.”

So no shed tear is wasted, Lynn C. Tolson started the Project for TEARS: Telling Everyone About Rape & Suicide. Her mission is to 1) comfort victims by sharing her story 2) confront violence by breaking the silence 3) challenge society via information and action.

“You have no idea how much faith I have in your book to help guide me and other women. I shall bring it to everyone's attention.”