The Stars in My Scars

Cleo Wynters began life without any stability, her mother incapable of living in the real world, her father feared, both stumbling in and out of drug addiction. Her grandmother was her guiding light, and when she died, so did a piece of Cleo.

Growing up, Cleo struggled with an eating disorder and OCD, drugs, sex, and alcohol. At 16, she met Penny, a beautiful and caring girl who took Cleo into her home when no one else would, at a time when Cleo was trying desperately to find her place in the world. Penny became the most important person in her life, until Cleo started sleeping with Penny's ex-boyfriend and got pregnant. With nowhere to go, she sacrificed her independence and any feelings of safety and fell back into her mother's grasp, triggering a long series of disappointments. Penny finally forgave Cleo, and together they moved to San Francisco and started a new life.

The next few years were filled with of ups and downs. Cleo was finally able to deal with her past traumas and find her true path. She got a good job, met her husband, and went to nursing school. When the pandemic hit, with two beautiful babies and a loving husband, she worked day and night as a COVID nurse...until it broke her.

Cleo's life has definitely not been a fairy tale, but it has made her who she is-stronger, wiser, and dedicated to her family...and herself. Her coming of age memoir is at times heartbreaking, often uplifting, and always sincere.