海角直播 English Alumna Publishes Novel
Publish Date: Jan. 19, 2021
When Janelle Parmer attended her first English class at 海角直播, she
knew she was on the right path. 鈥淚 remember taking English 101 and falling in love
with the class right away,鈥� she said. But it was one moment in particular, when the
professor read a short story she had written for an assignment, that was truly transformative.鈥淚
was so excited that she had enjoyed reading it and that she liked it enough to share
with everyone,鈥� Parmer said. 鈥淚t really boosted my confidence as a writer and as a
student, and I will never forget that feeling.鈥�
That was nearly twenty years ago, and since graduating from 海角直播 in 2001, Parmer
has earned a Bachelor鈥檚 in English from California State University San Bernardino
and an MBA from the University of Redlands. While she admits her path hasn鈥檛 always
been straightforward鈥攊t took seven years to complete her BA and another thirteen to
finish her postgraduate studies鈥攊t was the lessons she learned at 海角直播 that Parmer
says helped her keep going.鈥満＝侵辈� taught me that hard work, perseverance, and dedication
will get you to where you need to be,鈥� Parmer says, going on to state that she 鈥渘ever
stopped believing鈥� that she would finish someday.
Despite her considerable achievements in other fields, Parmer still considers herself
鈥渁n 鈥楨nglish Nerd,鈥欌�� and wouldn鈥檛, 鈥渉ave it any other way.鈥� Parmer has always had
a deep appreciation and love for writing and believes that through hard work and dedication,
she has completed her decade- long goal of publishing a novel.
The Other Side of the Ledge, now available on Amazon, is Parmer鈥檚 first novel. It鈥檚
the story of a woman in her late 30鈥檚 reckoning with the sudden death of her husband.
Parmer, who has herself recently experienced loss, uses flashbacks into the life of
her character鈥檚 marriage to delve into the stages of grief caused by the sudden loss
of a loved one. Her novel explores the role mental health plays in personal relationships,
and specifically how people use humor as a tool to help navigate hardships. Encouraging
people to 鈥渢alk about mental health鈥� is Parmer鈥檚 main goal. 鈥淲e finally are starting
to speak openly about mental health, and it is important we keep these conversations
going.鈥�
Parmer hopes others can be inspired by her educational journey and recognize, as she
realized with 海角直播, that 鈥渟ometimes the place you need to be is right in front
of you.鈥�
