Details
Author name: DT West
Book title: A Step Towards Freedom
Genre: Fiction
Launch date: 15.02.2024
Buy links
Summary
At the tender age of three, Gabrielle Barns’s carefree, fun-filled childhood took a dark turn. One that would lead her into a lifetime of betrayal, shame and humiliation.
Moving into adulthood, Gabrielle found herself in a cycle of one abusive relationship after another. It seemed life was determined to ruin any happiness she found, as time and time again, her trust and heart were broken.
Even her own body seemed determined to betray her as strange life-threatening health issues plagued her, and doctor after doctor could find nothing wrong with her. Was she going mad?
Then came the shocking realisation that she had married a paedophile. Now, a single mother supporting two young children and living in the constant fear of being stalked, Gabrielle had to ask herself how she could move past a lifetime of emotional damage and live a normal life.
It was finally time to accept the harm the loss of her childhood innocence had caused, and that nothing would change unless she finally faced that darkest of truths and the person who betrayed her.
This is story of courage, of becoming unstuck and learning that everyone is flawed in some way, but that self-healing is the only way forward. And to move forward, Gabrielle had to face her past.
Let's talk about it
Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
I’m an artist using mainly pastels.
Why did you choose the themes in your book and were you aware of them from the start?
It’s a subject that has had an huge impact on millions of lives and needs to be brought out into the open.
How difficult was it for you to write this book? Did you face any obstacles?
Being a novice, and looking at a blank page made it very difficult to start. So I decided to start with extensive research beyond what I already had observed and learned from victims and survivors. English was my poorest subject at school, but I persevered and learnt a lot from my editor.
If you worked with a professional editor, what was the experience like?
I worked with AJ Collins and found her professionalism, support, encouragement and assistance with every aspect of producing the best work I was capable of to be outstanding.
What’s next for your writing?
Even though I only ever intended to write this one novel, I am now toying with the idea of writing a prequel.
Author Bio
After working in the community for several decades, with people of various ages, Ms West has heard many dark secrets that her clients have never told another soul. By researching and delving into a “forbidden” subject, Ms West produced this story, including the many aspects of how child sexual abuse and trauma can affect an entire lifetime, in hopes to help at least one more person to survive.
