Caryn Hacker-Buechel is a bestselling author, motivational speaker and former psychotherapist who has channeled her talents into her latest release, The General’s Princess.
She describes the tale as a “gripping romantic military thriller that confronts trauma, love and survival,” keeping her goal of foregrounding the challenges of psychological well-being.
“My inspiration changes with each subject, but my purpose remains constant: to encourage mental health awareness, growth and enlightenment. I consistently weave psychological insight into my work, offering readers a written acknowledgment of the journey from pain to resilience,” she said.
Her debut novel, A Bully Grows Up: Erik Meets the Wizard, was published in 2004 under the name Caryn Sabes Hacker. Her second book took six years to complete, and is not for children, she said, owing to a sprinkling of spice.
“The process was anything but linear,” Hacker-Buechel noted. She employed the assistance of Brigadier General Ed Dyer (Ret.) as the military accuracy consultant whose “expertise helped anchor the combat portions of the story in authenticity and ultimately paved the way to the novel’s conclusion.”
The reader will delight in the clever mentions of Naples, including the Port Royal Club, of which she is a member. Set in 2004, the novel includes time and date references at the start of each chapter that serve to ground the narrative in real-world events.
“Drawing on my psychotherapy background, I intentionally incorporated therapeutic techniques designed to shift the reader’s perspective as the main character evolved,” the author said. “Throughout my career as a psychotherapist, I listened to thousands of stories from men and women who carried deep emotional pain and trauma. Those stories, along with my own experiences, left an indelible mark on my soul as I helped guide clients toward healing.”
As she combined her unique insights with those of the book’s military consultant, whom she describes as like the character Gen. Sam Kennedy, deeply aware of the emotional toll of combat, “it provided a way to illuminate the scars left by abuse, trauma and violence, as well as the path toward recovery.”
She contends that her novel was written in honor of all whose lives have been touched by such pain.
A motivational speaker since 1983, she has given presentations for more than a decade at corporate headquarters, including Sony Music, The Gap International, Xerox and Philip Morris, as well as mental health hospitals and clinics. Podcasts and motivational speaking are vital and provide a sense of purpose in this next chapter of her life, she said.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she moved frequently due to her father’s role as chair of oral pathology departments at various dental schools, living in Philadelphia, Detroit, Livonia, Michigan, and, eventually, Lexington, Kentucky. She earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree from the University of Louisville.
Ready for a more relaxed lifestyle, in 2000, she and her husband, Dr. Frederick Buechel, Sr., and son Dylan relocated to Naples from South Orange, New Jersey.
We wanted to hear more from this local resident turned author.