Shelvis the Queen

I began writing this book thirteen years ago, after the collapse of a fourteen year relationship with a woman I loved dearly. The exercise has been a heartfelt and painful process which often resulted in the need to stop writing. It's only in the last couple of years I realised I needed to complete the book in order to have closure on the past; both for what I'd experienced as well as how I'd treated others. As you will no doubt discover, there's been a lot of dysfunction in my life. I put a lot of this down to three traumatic childhood experiences at the hands of people who were close to either me or my family at the time. I have not disclosed this information publicly prior to this or my relationship to those involved as it would destroy many people's lives. I have always been disturbed by others' judgements of me. This hindered me in that I always felt I could never live life the way I wanted to. Over time and with increased life experience I have come to trust myself and my own thoughts and feelings. This book has been cathartic in assisting me to reach this point. In and out of relationships, my only question was, would I ever find someone who would truly love me? For those who are new to love or still seeking the answer to love, perhaps you can restate the question as this: What can I do/who can I be to truly love myself enough? I hope you find my story and my (mis)adventures entertaining! Sit back, grab a cuppa and enjoy. NB: All names in this book have been changed to protect those in it, including myself!