Crafton Hills College English Alumna Publishes Novel

Publish Date: Jan. 19, 2021

When Janelle Parmer attended her first English class at Crafton Hills College, she knew she was on the right path. “I remember taking English 101 and falling in love with the class right away,” 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.“I was so excited that she had enjoyed reading it and that she liked it enough to share with everyone,” Parmer said. “It really boosted my confidence as a writer and as a student, and I will never forget that feeling.”
That was nearly twenty years ago, and since graduating from Crafton in 2001, Parmer has earned a Bachelor’s in English from California State University San Bernardino and an MBA from the University of Redlands. While she admits her path hasn’t always been straightforward—it took seven years to complete her BA and another thirteen to finish her postgraduate studies—it was the lessons she learned at Crafton that Parmer says helped her keep going.“Crafton taught me that hard work, perseverance, and dedication will get you to where you need to be,” Parmer says, going on to state that she “never stopped believing” that she would finish someday.
Despite her considerable achievements in other fields, Parmer still considers herself “an ‘English Nerd,’” and wouldn’t, “have it any other way.” 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’s first novel. It’s the story of a woman in her late 30’s reckoning with the sudden death of her husband. Parmer, who has herself recently experienced loss, uses flashbacks into the life of her character’s 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 “talk about mental health” is Parmer’s main goal. “We finally are starting to speak openly about mental health, and it is important we keep these conversations going.”
Parmer hopes others can be inspired by her educational journey and recognize, as she realized with Crafton, that “sometimes the place you need to be is right in front of you.”