Cloud People and Capturing Hope by Author BJ Rae - Cloud People by Rae | Domestic Thrillers

section 230 and me

A memoir about my experience with TrustPilot, finding my voice, and the law that shapes online life.

This is the story of what happened to me on TrustPilot, and what I learned along the way.

It is a memoir about resilience — about marriage, about health, about the slow work of holding yourself together when something online refuses to let you go. It is also a personal introduction to Section 230, the federal law at the heart of nearly every conversation about online accountability, written for readers who have never thought about it before and for those who think about it every day.

I wrote this book for the people who feel small against systems that feel large. For anyone who has ever wondered whether their voice matters. And for the readers, advocates, journalists, and policymakers asking what the next chapter of the internet should look like.

It is, above all, a human story.

Releasing 2026

Be the first to know when it’s available

One Nation

We’re losing friends over Facebook posts. Families are skipping holidays to avoid “that conversation.” Somewhere along the way, we forgot that the person across the table—the one who votes differently—is still a person worth knowing.

One Nation is a practical, nonpartisan, and often humorous
guide to navigating political and religious conversations without destroying
your relationships or your sanity. Author BJ Rae spent nearly sixty years
studying what works and what backfires in heated discussions—starting as a
child hiding under her grandmother’s kitchen table during legendary family
arguments. (She wasn’t just eating cookies. She was taking notes.) This book
isn’t about changing your beliefs or finding some mushy middle ground. It’s
about keeping the people you love in your life, even when you disagree about
everything. With warmth, wit, and hard-won wisdom, One Nation offers
real strategies for disagreeing without disconnecting, debating without
destroying, and discussing without dismissing. Because moving to Mars isn’t an
option, unfollowing everyone just builds a lonelier world, and some
relationships are worth more than winning an argument.

Capturing Hope

“I thought I knew pain. What a foolish assumption that was. What ambushed me that Tuesday morning wasn’t mere discomfort—it was biological warfare conducted by my own nervous system. Every heartbeat detonated glass fragments beneath my skin. The RV’s couch transformed into medieval torture equipment, and each breath became a calculated negotiation with agony that made my son’s birth seem like a gentle massage. Outside, morning commuters rushed toward normal lives while I lay trapped inside this metal cocoon. I was discovering that pain is a geography of territories mapped in screaming nerve endings, with borders drawn by raw flesh that interpreted even a slight brush of fabric against my skin as assault with a deadly weapon.

Note to self: when your body stages a coup, it doesn’t bother with a gentle takeover.

A powerful memoir of resilience and triumph, chronicling a journey from pain’s deep prison to freedom’s dawn. This inspiring story demonstrates how hope can be captured even in the darkest moments of life.

Cloud People

HOPE BEYOND THE STORMS

While Miriam was still a preschooler, the family court of Georgia left her in the sole custody of her neglectful mother, an undiagnosed mental case. When bullied at school for her shabby appearance, Miriam stuffed her pain as deep inside herself as possible.

Young Miriam knew three things. First, her parents didn’t want her. Second, her world was filled with abuse and pain. Third, the best way to make a good decision was to do the opposite of what her mother would do.

A traumatic event struck Miriam like a hurricane at age 17 when a rapist stole her virginity. Although her mother tried to force her to end the crisis pregnancy, she made a decision that would enable her to continue to love herself and triumph over tragedy and pain.

Miriam’s perseverance developed early. Despite surviving two murder attempts by age three, she remained ambitious, bright, and caring.

Against the odds, grit and love prevail throughout Miriam’s story. You’ll understand why she loves certain people so much, the simple ways that anyone can help a child, and what it takes to be a survivor.

Complete Guide to Formatting Books

Tired of paying hundreds of dollars for book formatting? Format your book yourself—professionally!

After struggling to find reliable formatters for her book CAPTURING HOPE, author BJ Rae learned to format books herself. Now she’s sharing everything she learned in this comprehensive, step-by-step guide that puts professional book formatting in YOUR hands.

What You’ll Learn:

How to format 8.5″ x 5.5″ and 8″ x 5″ print books with mirror margins
Professional ebook formatting for Kindle and other e-readers
Setting up page numbers that start at Chapter 1
Making chapters start on right-hand (odd) pages
Creating hyperlinked Table of Contents for ebooks
Professional spacing rules for lines, paragraphs, and headings
Text alignment and justification for print vs. ebooks
Understanding front matter, body, and back matter
Microsoft Word detailed instructions (works for Word 2010-2021 and Microsoft 365)

BJ Rae

BJ Rae has been a special education teacher, computer technician, homemaker, dog trainer, photographer, and writer. She has traveled across the United States, survived many tragedies, and participated in the Order of the Eastern Star and the American Legion Auxiliary. She and her husband share their home with their three dogs in the mountains, where she enjoys exploring and photographing nature.

“Some people are dark, threatening clouds. When they blow away,
life becomes a clear, blue sky.
If they surround you, look for umbrellas—
those who protect you from the storms.”