Secrets on a Hill in Chocowinity, NC Where a Predator Preyed

Imagine spending your life being told you made up a lie, accusing your mother's husband of being a child molester.
Imagine your mother telling you that it was all a dream.
Imagine your mother convincing you that she never slapped you across your face and said,
"That's my man!"
Imagine telling your sister….and her response be,
" If it didn't happen to me, why would I believe it happened to you?..."
When she knew all along.
Imagine over 30 years going by...and the truth re-surfaces....and it turns out everyone knew...and they all still let you be the bad guy.
Imagine, after 30 years, your baby sister finally decided to say,
"Robin's not lying. He molested me too."
Imagine your mother knowing she was married to a child molester.
Imagine her harboring and protecting the child predator and propping him up as a father figure.

What happens when the child becomes a woman standing up?
What happens when the bottom finally falls out?
"Secrets on a hill in Chocowinity" is a tale of self-help and self-healing...
And my story is way too common.

Columnist, visual artist, performing artist, public speaker, and community activist are all hats that Robin wears well.
Ess is a columnist at the Carolina Call Newspaper based out of Raleigh, NC. Her column is called "The Black
Birdseye View." BBEV shares informative information meant to uplift, inspire and motivate its readers.

Ess is a vocalist and spoken word artist who uses her craft to express herself and as a form of mental release.

Ess's visual art is called "Ess Art" and reflects what she thinks, dreams, and experiences. Her mediums of choice are oil, acrylic, and mixed media.

She is the founder of "Breathe to Think," affectionately known as BTT. In this open forum, performing artists display their crafts. Mills founded The Visual Artists Realm (VAR) as a means for emerging visual artists to show their work and share their creative process.
"People always ask me how I manage so many visions at once. It's simple. Everything I do is connected. One thing opens the door for another. I read somewhere that if you do what you love, you will never feel like you are working….and it's true. I have always been a writer. I am a writer before I am anything else. As a small child in elementary school, I remember a teacher asking all the students to write down what they wanted to do when we grew up. I distinctly remember writing: I want to work for the News Paper. Being a writer is a part of me that will not be denied. I adore nothing more than playing with words to convey a thought or message.
~Robin Ess