Every story has a beginning. Mine started long before I ever became a writer.
I never set out to become a storyteller. Writing simply became the place where memories, questions and experiences slowly found their voice.
Years of Life Experience
I never started out to become a story teller. That happened by accident when after a long period of estrangement from my family and living overseas, my twin sister asked me one day to fill in the blanks for the period that I was lost to them. My scribblings were only meant to be a journal for her and my family but the stories all had a message particularly that of "The Stealing of Innocence" which I did not realise at the time when writing it...
People can hold your hand along the way and share your story but a victim alone can make that important step forward to becoming a survivor. I'm not saying forget what happened in the past but rather don't let it live your life for you and don't live your story alone.
I was silenced at the time of the events of "The Stealing of Innocence" like so many other children of that era in a similar or same situation; sexual abuse within a Catholic Diocese or any for that matter and not just a school environment.
The continual threat of reprisals by way of further punishment and fear prevented many children from speaking out. Society often believed the words of adults over those of children, leaving many victims unheard.
Many children were gagged from speaking out at the time of their abuse and many today still carry that shame and embarrassment. Everything comes back to your word against theirs.
So many people go unheard, silenced by their shame which isn't their shame to bear. Rather than having my case heard in court, I believed it was more important to tell my story and give those that have been silenced for so long a voice.
"The Stealing of Innocence" is an account of what happened to me and how it was allowed to continue. It is told from a survivor's point of view without the editing of courts or media.
One day I found myself sitting on the banks of the Ganga River in Varanasi, India. Watching children with almost nothing, yet overflowing with happiness, completely changed my outlook on life.
Their resilience taught me that happiness does not come from possessions but from hope, community and perspective. That experience inspired me to stop pursuing revenge and instead use my story to help others find healing.
We never know what cards we will be dealt in life. What truly defines us is how we respond to those experiences. Every challenge shapes us into who we become.
It is said, "Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." The memories of those we love continue to live within us.
In writing The Falling of Angels, I wanted to honour my friends whose lives were taken during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1970s and 80s.
Their sacrifices helped pave the way for today's treatments and understanding. Although the disease is now manageable, their stories deserve to be remembered.
My hope is that every book I write reminds readers that healing is possible, resilience is real, and no one should ever feel alone in their journey.
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