Guest Post--Dawn Torrens on Amelia's Story

I am honored to be able to feature Dawn Torrens, the author of one of the most captivating true stories of a traumatic childhood I have ever read. After reading her story you will gain a new respect for the strength of the human will to overcome adversity. And now I introduce to you Dawn:

Firstly I would like to thank Dax Tucker for inviting me to guest post for him today, this is such an honor for me as I am such a fan of his book, "The Leaf Catcher".

Bio:

I am from Birmingham in England, where I live with my husband and beautiful daughter. Birmingham is the central city for the UK! This is a very multicultural city, vibrant and full of optimism for the people which live
there! I am a very proud mother who believes in the motto, "The child first and foremost." My daughter always comes first in my life, she is my heart, my soul and my world. I could not imagine a life without her in it. I am a passionate writer, and this has been so since the age of 9 years old when I started writing poems, this was my way of expressing myself during my times of despair as a child.


Amelia's Story (my first book)


Amelia's Story is a true story (my story) I have written this book for my daughter, so when she is much older she can read this in her own time, and better understand the long hard road I had to travel before I got to where I am today. This is a harrowing account of a young girl's struggle to survive each and everyday in the state care system during the 70's and 80's. These were hard and lonely times. Amelia (me) was so determined not to become a statistic that she made a promise to herself that she will one day amount to something, having heard the opposite all of her life only fueled her determination. The obstacles placed in Amelia's way proved so hard at times that she almost gives up and wonders about the peace and finality of her own death.

Amelia's story has taken me on a very emotional journey, and an extremely hard one too. I had to revisit places I never thought I could again, I had to come face to face with some very hard truths which I discovered during my research. Before I started writing my book I had to gain permission from the state social services records department, there was so many gaps I needed to fill, so many case reviews about myself that I was not privy to at the time. I wanted to know how they determined the choices they made for me, what was discussed about me in those case reviews before I was shipped from one place to another. I was given access to all my records for the duration of my time spent under the care system. I traveled to a town called Shrewsbury to the head office of the records department, I spent a whole day wading through boxes and boxes of reports, case review records, NSPCC reports and so on. I discovered so much more. I asked if I was able to take a copy of everything and I was granted this important request. I set about photocopying everything so I could write my story fully informed.

My story is not for the faint hearted, however, this is a story of personal strength, of determination, and the will to survive. My story is already inspiring people from all walks of life. My ultimate dream is to set up my own children's charity eventually and make as much of a difference as I possibly can. In the meantime Amelia's story is making a small difference as a percentage of all my sales each and every month goes to:

http://nspcc.org.uk

http://www.barnards.org.uk

I have two more books coming out in 2012, Amelia's Story part 2, and a thriller based novel, which I started writing a couple of years ago and I am third of the way in.

My hopes and dreams for the future, well this is easy, I want my daughter to look back on her own childhood when she is a woman with fond memories. I want her to grow up a happy and well balanced person, with a kind heart full of love and respect for life. I hope to write many more books, and make a huge difference to many children across the world. I hope to inspire those children who are currently living through a hard and emotional childhood as I once did, giving them hope for the future, that they can go on to be anything they want to be with will and determination.

Thank you all so much for taking the time out of your day to join us today.

Authors links:

My website - http://dawnsdaily.com
My charity - http://nspcc.org.uk
Buy book - http://amazon.co.uk/amelias-story
Buy book http://smashwords.com/books/view/93898
My charity - http://barnardos.org.uk
Authors making a difference - http://rabmad.com/authors/

Thank you Dawn, I know many will be touched after reading your story, and your goals and dreams are truly an indication of a person that wants to make a positive difference in the world. I wish you, your book, and your family much success!