Hello beautiful people, Happy Saturday! David is a gentleman and a gem (I like this a little better than scholar) for letting me be a guest writer not only once, but twice now! Words cannot describe how much I appreciate it because the words I’m about to write in this article are very important to me. I hold them near and dear to my heart… and here’s why:

I always told myself I’d never be in an abusive relationship. I always envisioned myself being able to leave. Little did I know I was just young and naive–because it’s not that easy.

In result, I never imagined my dating life would be what it was when I accepted my sexuality and put myself out there. I was dating one monster in disguise after another. And somehow each time they left my world felt like it was falling apart. Each and every time, it felt like they stole something from me. It was my optimism. Because for years nights were long and heartache was inevitable while living in the rules of someone else’s game.

And that’s what I was doing. I would make excuses for mistreatment. I would placate bad behavior. But I was young then, didn’t know my own self-worth, and was naive to the covert aspects of both narcism and emotional abuse. Since then, I have learned so much.

I have learned so much that I decided to write it all down. Which is why I am happy, nervous, and excited to announce the release of my second book, Unrequited: Things I Learned from Trying to Love the Wrong People.  

It is a diary made public–a guidebook in hopes that others may learn from what I have been through. Inside are seven years of terrible experiences that shaped me, changed me, and often made me feel broken. But I am not broken now. In fact, I was never broken. This book is me taking back my power–exercising my right for closure after being made to feel I didn’t deserve it. Though a very personal book, the details feel universal.

Unrequited is my heart poured onto paper. It is both raw and real. It is both terrifying and liberating. But more than any of this it is educational. While writing I learned more about life, about myself, and about love. I realized my patterns and similar patterns of those around me. I realized that I created this book for my own personal sense of closer, but also so that other people may benefit. Because there is no stronger feeling than hope–than realizing you are not alone. And those of us who have experienced the darker side of love are never alone.

This book means the world to me because in a world of people who would try to invalidate me I wrote anyway.

If you are interested, you can purchase my book on amazon by clicking here. It is my hope that you will give it a chance–even if you’ve never been abused and just want to learn more about love itself.

Have a wonderful weekend. And may true love, not the facade many face, always find you.