After the Fire: A Memoir in Poetry and Prose    by J. A. Jance Order:  USA  Can William Morrow, 2013 (2013) Hardcover     Reviewed by Bob Walch Not the usual fare one has come to expect from this best selling suspense writer, After the Fire is a small book that opens up a portal to the personal life of J. A. Jance. Before she made it as a bestselling author, Jance struggled with a bad marriage, To maintain her sanity and deal with the unhappy relationship she wrote poetry which she kept hidden away until 1984. Then, a year before her debut as a novelist, Jance published this little volume which chronicled the death of her marriage to an alcoholic who was abetted by her own unwitting denial and co-dependence while she tried to find herself. Reissued in paper and as an e-book, this candid account of the author's emotional journey will be appreciated by those who have experienced a similar situation. It is the author's hope that her story of love destroyed and the struggle she engaged in to rise from the ashes of that destructive relationship will inspire others. She writes, 'I have touched the fire. It burned me, but I knew I lived. It seared me, but it made me whole. I have known the fire. I'll live with nothing rather than with less. The flame is out. There's nothing left but ash.' Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews