Just Julia A Short Story About Eczema

‘I just need one day of not being in this body.’ Julia Ross is a twenty-something woman (barely) living with eczema. Julia Ross has been told not to scratch. Julia Ross has been told to use coconut oil. Julia Ross has been told it’s never going to get better. Julia Ross has come to the end. Can Julia Ross reclaim her identity from her skin or has she finally given up? Based on the author’s own experience with eczema, this short story hits home on exactly what it's like to live with a condition most people believe is only skin deep. From the author of Curing my Incurable Eczema.

Part self-help book, part memoir … with a twist. Cara takes you through the events that have shaped her life – from an iatrogenic condition which left her housebound and compulsions that made her feel mentally isolated, to her struggles to communicate after trauma and her battle with anxiety. It includes some observations on life and the lessons she has learned from pain – but whether she takes her own advice is another story ... This book covers: ~ Anxiety ~ Disordered eating ~ The destructive nature of fear ~ Comparison in the age of social media ~ Identity ~ A new take on shyness ~ Dating ~ Growing up with red hair ~ Transformation ~ Panicking ~ Chronic skin conditions ~ Trichotillomania and dermatillomania ~ An (OVER) organised mind … and much more. It is broken up into two parts, with the first part written in late 2019, and the second during the summer of 2020, and how the events of that year affected one thirty-something woman trying to navigate it all. She is not an expert on life – she is a mess.

‘Sometimes the best things in life are those that were the hardest battles to fight.’ In 2013, after years of watching her skin only get worse, Cara stumbled across Topical Steroid Withdrawal and changed her life. A story of one woman’s battle to regain her health, both in body and mind, with surprising results. From the writer of the popular blog on TSW, and author of Just Julia and My Date with a Shaver, Curing my Incurable Eczema is a book not to be missed.

Was there life outside my box? Two men. One great adventure. A thirty-minute 'tail' about friendship, hope ... and a dog called Zelda. Taken from Cara Ward’s thought-provoking debut collection of short stories, Thirty-Minute Tales.

The boy next door has seven days to try and change a fifteen-year-old girl’s mind about her hair, and he will knock down ginger until he succeeds. A short story about identity, courage, and young love from the author of the Weighting to Live series.

Just when you think you have everything figured out, one faulty sunbed changes everything. Follow ‘Italian’ aunt on one final adventure ... The conclusion to Cara Ward’s Weighting to Live series (in no more than thirty minutes).

A frank account of one woman’s battle to overcome Trichotillomania and Dermatillomania with surprising results. Made up of diary entries written over a seven-week period in late 2016, Cara not only learns about her compulsions, but also herself. The diary explores some of her darkest memories of living with Trichotillomania and Dermatillomania and is written with honesty and humour. Cara also shares some reflections, five years later, and some tips that helped her. A life-changing diary, not to be missed.

Fourteen short stories about people. Strangers. Friends. Loved. Unloved. Broken. Healed. Good. Bad. Thirty minutes.