John Wesley Wilson PsyD, Psychologist & Author

11/27/2025

If you’ve ever felt torn between who you are and who you were told to be, this one’s for you.

This line from my memoir, Straight to Hell, captures a wound many of us carry — and the courage it takes to finally face it.

Haven't read my story yet? Find it everywhere books are sold, or go to my website for special deals: https://bit.ly/4f5dyoY

11/24/2025

This is the heart of my memoir, Straight to Hell.

Faith should never demand the death of your truth.

I lived that battle for decades. Maybe you did too.

Haven't read my story yet? Find it everywhere books are sold, or go to my website for special deals: https://bit.ly/4f5dyoY

11/24/2025

When my daughter, Johna, was eleven, she recorded this song for me on a cassette the day I was cast out. I wrote about that moment on page 179.

Last weekend—twenty-six years later—she sang it again at my book launch that celebrated my (and our) survival.

A few days later, I captured a cleaner recording at home—something to hold onto for the years ahead.

Haven't read Straight to Hell?
Order your copy (print or ebook) on my website: https://bit.ly/4f5dyoY

Follow me here and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/4lLmimF

(This is a cover of "I Will Be There for You" by Jessica Andrews from the Disney Movie, Prince of Egypt.)

11/20/2025

🎁 Holiday Sale! 🎁

Paperback is now $14.99 (normally $18.99)
Order here → http://bit.ly/4imcZZF

Hardback is now $25.99 (normally $35.99)
Order here → https://bit.ly/4pqAPWD

Ships directly from the distributor (IngramSpark).
Order now to receive in time for the holidays!

Want to learn more about Straight to Hell? Visit my website: https://www.authorjohnwesleywilson.com

11/17/2025

What an unforgettable afternoon at The Colonnade last Saturday for the Atlanta launch of Straight to Hell! Estimated 80-85 attendees!

I’m still smiling.

Enjoy the photos — and if you captured any special moments, feel free to send them to me via Messenger or text. I’d love to add them here.

Thank you to every single person who showed up — whether you were in the room with us or joining through Facebook Live. I felt your energy, your enthusiasm, and your love from start to finish.

A heartfelt thank-you to the people who helped bring this event to life:
• Michael Murphy – emcee
• Niki Murphy – photography
• Michal K. Davis – Facebook Live
• Diana Davis – greeter
• Robert Ray – pianist
• Johna Wilson – singer
• Fran Bishop – cake tower artist
• Paul & Louis – owners, The Colonnade
• Scott - Manager, The Colonnade
• Teria & Solomon – servers
• Chris Cerny – event planner, decorator, and all-around mover/shaker

I’m grateful beyond words. Thank you for helping make this launch everything I hoped it would be — and more.

11/17/2025

Those who attended the book launch on Saturday had the opportunity to meet my daughter, Johna, and witness her heart and courage as she performed a song from the book, despite being deeply emotional.

Here’s a song I wrote back in 2014 featuring Johna. It’s a tribute to the freedom I finally found when I began walking in my truth.

In a time of escalating tension between "religious freedom" and the fair treatment of minority groups, we believe love, acceptance and respect can prevail ov...

11/15/2025

Faith, Fire, & Freedom: The Launch of Straight To Hell at The Colonnade, Atlanta, GA.

11/15/2025

It's almost time! The Official Launch Party for Straight to Hell: Memoir of an Ex-Evangelical Pastor.

So excited to share this event with you tomorrow! Meet-and-greet (in-person) begins at 2:00 p.m. and Facebook Live starts at 2:30 p.m.

If attending virtually, click: https://www.facebook.com/share/19uzXbb7Uw/

Hope to see you there!!

John

11/10/2025

Virtual Launch Party next Saturday.
RSVP here (click "Going"): https://www.facebook.com/share/14PNhNPLGym/

Hey friends, thank you for following me and supporting the launch of my book, Straight to Hell.

For those who can’t attend in person, I'd like to invite you to the virtual launch party next Saturday, 11/15, at 2:30 PM EST. Hear readings from the book and a live performance from my daughter, Johna.

Hope to see you there!

John

11/01/2025

Have you ever hidden part of yourself just to be accepted—�by others, by God, or even by you?

For most of my life, I thought obedience meant erasure.� That to be loved by God, I had to become someone else.

I spent years performing faith, �burying the truth that refused to die—�the truth that I was gay.

And when truth and faith finally collided,�something in me broke—�but what broke wasn’t me.
�It was the lie.

Because when the false self falls away,�truth finally breathes.
�And on the other side of that breaking� is freedom—�freedom to be whole, �to live without a mask, �to finally belong to yourself.

✨ My new book, Straight to Hell, is the story of that breaking—�and the healing that followed.

Visit my website to learn more and order the book: https://bit.ly/4f5dyoY

Follow me on Instagram: https://bit.ly/4lLmimF

10/16/2025

Reader reflections like this remind me why I wrote such a raw and vulnerable memoir.

Haven't read it yet?

Visit my website for links to Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and for additional content including a blog and photo/video gallery: https://bit.ly/4f5dyoY

10/14/2025

Many of you have asked if I have recordings from my years as an Evangelical pastor.

I do.

This one-minute clip is from a live radio broadcast on Sunday morning, April 4, 1997, less than a year before Terry’s death.

You can hear the faith of a man clinging to the belief that if he stayed faithful, God would "change his nature" and make him straight.

But while I preached hope to others, I was quietly drowning in my own despair.

I share this not in mockery, but in reverence for the desperate faith that once held me together before it finally tore me apart.

As a psychologist now, I often tell clients that yes—people can change. But real change isn’t about erasing who we are; it’s about understanding, integrating, and healing.