OPRAH.COM Featured Award-Winning Novel AS FAR AS YOU GO BEFORE YOU HAVE TO COME BACK now Available as Audiobook

SEATTLE - June 19, 2025 - PRLog -- 16+ Awards Including #1 Amazon Rankings • Featured on Oprah.com • Nine-Hour Production Narrated by Ph.D. Neuroscientist

Black Rose Writing and author Alle C. Hall announce the audiobook release of Hall's acclaimed autobiographical novel, As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back, narrated by Melinda Cumming.

The multi-award-winning novel has 16+ honors, including two #1 Kindle rankings ("Literary Fiction" and "Coming of Age"), and #4 ranking in Feminist Literary Criticism. National Book Award judge and NYT bestselling author Jamie Ford called it "a rare novel... an outstanding debut."

The Audiobook The nine-and-a-half-hour audiobook is performed by Melinda Cumming, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Cumming's empathy and touches of levity enhance this serious exploration of trauma and healing.

"Melinda was a dream," Hall says. "She didn't shy away from exploring the effects of child abuse and the risks and rewards of healing."

The Story Set in the 1980s, the novel follows Carlie, a teen incest survivor who steals $10,000 and flees to Asia. Barreling solo through SE Asia, Carlie struggles with addiction, depression, and anorexia, until meeting an international crew of Tai chi-practicing backpackers. In Tokyo, she fights to reclaim her self-respect and find healthy sexuality not defined by trauma.

Critical Acclaim & Recognition

Awards: 2024 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award (nominated), 2022 National League of American Pen Women's Mary Kennedy Eastham Flash Fiction Prize (1st place), plus 14 additional honors

Media Features: Oprah.com, Film Daily, Literary Mama, The Seattle Times, Creative Nonfiction Magazine

Professional Recognition: Featured in staff libraries at leading treatment centers including The Meadows, and on the website of The Harborview Abuse and Trauma Center

Reviews: The Foreword praised its "realistic redemption arc" noting it as "a novel in which a survivor of abuse achieves a gritty, tender coming-of-age"

About the Author Alle ("AL-ley") C. Hall's a sought-after speaker, teacher, and incest survivor known for insights on harnessing creativity to heal trauma. She founded Binder Seeking Literary Agents, a 5K+ online community. At 24, Hall left the U.S. for Japan with $1,000, writing for Tokyo City Life News while backpacking through the regions in her novel. She's practiced Tai chi for 37 years.

Her short fiction appears in Dale Peck's Evergreen Review and Tupelo Quarterly. She wrote for Bust Magazine, Seattle Weekly, and The Stranger as a contributing writer.

Availability Amazon, Audible, iTunes: $19.95 retail. Subscription options available. Paperback and ebook through online and traditional retailers.

Media Resources

Book cover and author photos

Four audio sample clips (1-2 minutes each)

Review copies in all formats

For media inquiries, interview requests, or review copies:

Sari Ingram, PR Strategist

917.445.3647

[email protected]

Author website: Alle C. Hall

Social media: Facebook - Alle C. Hall, Writer

Newsletter: An Alle Alert (subscribe at website)