Fort Thomas' Kimberly Luse Releases Her Memoir, Circling The Drain

We learn by action or observation. And you will learn something by observing the life of Kimberly Luse in her memoir Circling The Drain available on Amazon and at Fort Thomas Central.

To look at Kimberly Luse, you would never guess the challenges and turmoil of her past. It’s difficult to open the scars of your past but that is what she does with great honesty. Luse holds a PhD, is married, has successful children, and seems to be the embodiment of the modern woman - determined, goal oriented, and independent. But it has been a challenging journey to get that that point.

When asked why she wrote the book, she says, “I actually felt led to write the book.  I’ve learned to listen when God lays something on my heart, and the message I continued to receive was that if I could be brave enough to release something so vulnerable it could lead to helping someone else along the way.” 

Roofing, siding, gutters painting. 

For example, when she was a child she questioned the male hierarchy of her church much to the chagrin of her father and minister. She writes, “As my turn approached, I decided to ask the Pastor the question that was on my mind.   I spoke up.  ‘So if you are a boy, you can be the PASTOR, but if you are a girl, you can only be the piano player.  Right?’  I clearly remember the silence that fell all around me.  Anyone who was in earshot stood still, and I became painfully aware that I had somehow really crossed an invisible line.  That feeling of being other-than came bounding back to me.  I could not figure out what I had done. I only was able to read the unspoken messages that it was not a good thing.” Everyone experiences that one event that seems innocent enough but ends up playing a much larger life role. This simple event defines the arc of Luse’s life. She has observed, questioned, and challenged her world.



Luse grew up in Newport but felt herself the outsider when she came to high school in Fort Thomas. She was the outsider. She was bullied. She didn’t belong. She tried to straddle two worlds. She struggled with self-image, academics, and family. But she persisted.

An early marriage failed, but produced two wonderful children that added the motivation to succeed. But success without failure or challenges isn’t much a success.  Luse asks at one point the question that every young woman asks, “Is there a way to find that balance? Being true to yourself, but also be pleasing to those who you love and care about?” These questions persist today.

She married again. More children. More success. But then things took a turn again in the marriage, career, and family. Luse made difficult choices, learned hard lessons, but was determined even though her world crumbled.

Her memoir is rich and painful with descriptions of her struggles and the struggles of her family. She is blunt about the dangers of drug abuse and the joys of being a grandparent and a successful businesswoman. She rejoices in love found, flounders through love lost, and then rejoices in love refound. The reader can relate to her struggles because we share similar struggles - identity, career, belonging, sacrifice, and sorrow.

Kimberly and Evan Luse at their second wedding.

She says, “I want the reader to understand that no matter how great, or how bleak things appear, life is a landscape that is constantly changing.  There really is nothing new under the sun.  I often felt so totally alone, and realize now that I was not a unicorn.  I want to encourage readers to strive for resiliency, and to reach out for help when it is needed, and to extend a helping hand when they are in the position to do so.  We are all in this together!”

Kimberly Luse is a powerful force in our community but no matter how well you think you know someone, you learn so much when you listen to their stories. This story reveals Luse’s independent nature but also reveals how the pleasant and unpleasant natures of a community contribute to character.

The story is resonating with readers. She says, “I had a colleague reach out to me.  I blogged about it on LinkedIn a few days ago.  She told me she had been abruptly fired.  She is a single mother, and felt quite desperate.  She shared that she was sitting in her apartment thinking maybe it would be better for everyone all the way around if she just wasn’t here any longer.  But then she thought about that chapter in my book, and reached out to me to talk.  That is exactly why I wrote the book.” 

Read Circling the Drain. Get to know one of your neighbors and you will learn a little something about yourself.

Kimberly Luse will sign books at Fort Thomas Central on June 20.  Circling the Drain is available on Amazon.

Kimberly Luse at a recent book signing.