New Author Sonya Daniels-Hines Offers a Heartfelt Debut with Self-Care: Open Doors
Poetry and short stories converge in a grounded, faith-driven collection about survival, reflection, and self-worth
BALTIMORE, MD — June 25, 2025 — In a literary debut shaped by personal experience and spiritual resolve, Sonya Daniels-Hines releases Self-Care: Open Doors, a collection of poems and short stories that take an unfiltered look at hardship—and what it means to keep living through it.
From confronting childhood trauma and navigating grief to wrestling with questions of identity and resilience, the book serves as both witness and companion. Daniels-Hines brings readers into a deeply human space: one that acknowledges suffering without glorifying it and where healing is messy, nonlinear, and real.
“This wasn’t just about writing,” Daniels-Hines explains. “It was about making space—for stories like mine, and for the voices of people who rarely get to tell theirs.”
Split between poetry and narrative prose, Self-Care: Open Doors reflects a wide spectrum of lived experiences: a daughter speaking to an absent father, a woman making peace with a cancer diagnosis, and a mother struggling to reach her son. Some pieces are spiritual meditations; others feel more like diary entries. What ties them together is a tone of directness, and a refusal to simplify.
The writing is intentionally accessible—clear without losing depth—and often punctuated by questions meant to prompt reflection. The goal, Daniels-Hines says, is not just to be heard but to help others listen to themselves.
A longtime community advocate and founder of Daughters of Distinction, Daniels-Hines has spent years working with girls and women facing adversity. That sensibility comes through in the book’s tone: not instructional but quietly supportive. It's an invitation rather than a directive.
Early readers have described Open Doors as “grounding,” “authentic,” and “unafraid.” Though faith plays a prominent role—biblical references and prayers are woven throughout—its emotional relevance isn’t limited by religion. The book speaks to anyone who has sat with grief, wrestled with shame, or tried to start over.
With its blend of storytelling, spiritual insight, and emotional candor, Self-Care: Open Doors positions itself as more than a book—it’s a mirror, a quiet companion, and sometimes, a necessary confrontation. Daniels-Hines doesn’t offer neat answers, but she provides presence—and in today’s world, that may be the more radical gesture.
Self-Care: Open Doors is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats: Amazon Product Page.
About the Author Sonya Daniels-Hines is a writer, mentor, and founder of Daughters of Distinction, a nonprofit organization that supports women and girls through education, faith, and empowerment. She lives in Maryland with her husband and their children.
Contact
Author: Sonya Daniels-Hines
Amazon: Open Doors
Website: https://sonyarhines.com/
