Do you believe that joy is a choice? Dawn Barton does. She's an upbeat Southerner with good hair and a successful business background, but she's had more heartache than most of us can imagine. Laughing Through the Ugly Cry is a collection of honest and sometimes raw stories. Dawn throws an arm around readers as she brings them along on her journey through the loss of a child, divorce, cancer, rape, the death of her only sibling, her husband's substance abuse, and finding her way back to Jesus in the middle of it all.

Dawn shares her personal story to show readers how to find happiness and purpose even in the darkest of days. By laughing through the ugly cry, you will discover how to:

• Shut down negative feelings causing you to feel inadequate
• Identify the pros despite how challenging the cons may seem
• Embrace joy wherever you can find it
• Learn how to be honest with yourself and process grief in a healthy way

Dawn writes, "If more women were open about just how difficult our lives feel and how hard we are on ourselves, I think we'd learn to relax a little and give ourselves the grace God gives us every day." Laughing Through the Ugly Cry is great for:

• Women of any age seeking comfort, encouragement, and inspiration
• Book clubs and girls' nights--Dawn poses thoughtful group questions to support meaningful conversations about growth and joy

Barton, Dawn

Dawn Barton followed a God calling to write Laughing Through the Ugly Cry, she left a thirty-year career in sales and marketing, despite being the #7 Sales Director in Mary Kay and seeing her own 10-foot smile on a Times Square billboard. Although released during a pandemic, Laughing Through the Ugly Cry became a bestselling success, garnering the prestigious ECPA Christian Book Award for New Author of the Year. Dawn speaks at conferences, churches, elevators, and just about anywhere anyone will listen to her thoughts on finding joy and humor in even the most difficult of circumstances. She is particularly passionate about The Retreat at Trinity, an intimate three-day experience designed to help women rediscover their God-given purpose. Retreats are held at Dawn's beautiful 23-acre home in Cantonment, Florida, where she is living the sandwich-generation dream with her husband, daughter, parents, mother-in-law, and too many animals to count.