I’m often asked why I started this lifestyle, and I always answer “It’s complicated.”

I started traveling when I left England way back in 1986 because I was born with a desire to travel, but once in the States I got into an abusive relationship and was ‘stuck’ for about ten years in Indiana and Michigan. It was when I left that abusive relationship in October 1996 that I camped on my own for the first time, and felt the true joy of life again.

A few years later I started writing a book about my story, and what it was like to have freedom once again after being under the control of a psychopath for ten years. The idea was to show other women that it IS possible to get out of an abusive relationship, and it IS possible to do it on your own and build a truly wonderful life for yourself again. (Given, I am a single woman with no children and understand that for women with children, it’s an entirely different matter).

I wrote several chapters of this book, but I reached a stumbling block and the book was put on hold for many years. I now feel that I’ve healed, and my injuries have healed, both physical and mental, and I no longer feel the need to complete the book and publish it. I’ve suffered with the pain and the torment of it long enough, and I’m over it. However, I spent a lot of time writing the first few chapters, and have decided that they are still very worthy of sharing.

My hope is that this story will reach a woman (or man) in a similar situation to mine back then, and that that person will gain strength and encouragement from these words. I will be sharing the first few chapters with you; you do not need to read the end of this book to know the outcome, because it is written in every page of this blog.