Guest Post: Psychological Terror & Repressed Memories: Reflecting on Death of a Socialite

Isabel Saenz is a recent college graduate from McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. During her undergraduate career, she participated in numerous extracurricular activities including involvement in a women’s social club. Her far-reaching imagination allowed her to take up writing as a means of releasing negative energy and stress relief. She finds inspiration in the most unlikely of places. While Death of a Socialite is her first novel, she has also penned numerous stories under the Fiction Press pseudonym of LuckyLady’10. Currently, she manages a blog entitled Grad Angst, which is aimed to provide a forum for recent college graduates to adjust to post-graduate life. She is now a graduate student with a focus of International Relations at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. She lives in New Braunfels, TX with her family, two dogs, disobedient rabbit, and an escape artist turtle. 

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Psychological Terror & Repressed Memories: Reflecting on Death of a Socialite

In my first novel Death of a Socialite, I explore the human psyche in the form of repressed memories. The story first came together while I was going through a rough time in college. There were nights that I couldn’t sleep due to the fear of remembering things from my past that I didn’t want to remember. Most of the repressed memories dealt with feelings of worthlessness, being used, and unsupported in the environment that I found myself in. I didn’t think of myself as weak for not wanting to remember certain instances of my life, yet I didn’t know how to pick myself up and void the abandoned feeling buried inside of me.

There is nothing worse than dealing with psychological terror, in my opinion. It is a battle that occurs within yourself. To me, psychological terror can come in various forms: whether you’re dealing with a horrid memory from your childhood, a rough relationship (whether with a friend, family member, or romantic partner), or even admitting to yourself that something could be wrong with you. Your mind is your worst enemy. The more you think about an event, the more it can become warped within the recesses of your mind. Either you can do something about it and confront your fears head on or allow yourself to dwell on it, which slowly drains you of life.

Don’t let the title of my novel, Death of a Socialite, fool you. It is far from a frilly story about the upper class. Death of a Socialite is a multi-layered story is of courage to combat inner demons of the past in order to secure a stable present and a brilliant future. It is of new beginnings through confronting the one element of your being that should be your ally: your mind. However, your mind can lead you astray in the worst of times. 

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One night can change everything…

Dianne Sincili knew that beginning her second year at Miriam University would be
rough, but she could not foresee the events to come.

After stumbling upon a sight she was never meant to lay eyes on, Dianne now finds
herself stuck in St. Julieta’s Hospital for the Mentally Reserved. As she tries to reason with not
only herself, but the circumstances that put her in this situation, she places the blame on two of
her former friends turned enemies. Devin Alexander, her ex-boyfriend, and Vicente Bynum, his
roommate, fall upon the backing of Chi Psi, The Fraternity that seeks to control all aspects of life
at Miriam. Due to their methods, Dianne’s credibility and reputation have been ruined. But when
the Brotherhood threatens her sanity, she promises not to back down.

When the death of a fellow St. Julieta’s resident forces Dianne to put her theories
concerning the Brotherhood to the test, she must venture, not only into the ghost of her past, but
also consider the turbulent stories of the other residents. More than her own life is held in the
balance as similarities in stories of the residents come to light. Friendships, loyalties, and love
hangs in the balance as Dianne ventures into an abyss without the guarantee that she will ever
see the freedom she desperately craves again.