'Abandoned' is the true story of a childhood full of secrets, abuse and a little girl who didn't belong. This inspirational story is about how one woman finally overcame her traumatic childhood and adult homelessness to find a place she could call home. 'Abandoned' tells the heartbreaking story of a little girl's abusive childhood and her subsequent homelessness as an adult. Born illegitimately to Irish lovers, Anya was given away by her real mother and brought up in England by her loving aunt. However, her childhood with her new family was far from happy -- verbally and sexually abused for years, Anya finally cracked. She was only 11 years old. Then, a few weeks after her violent uncle was taken away by the police for questioning, Anya lost her whole family overnight. They didn't die, although they might as well have done; they just went away, abandoning her. There was no one else to care, so Anya pretended that she didn't either. She learnt to shut down, and not to let anybody in. She thought that she had worked through it all, overcome it. But then, several years later, through a series of unrelated problems, her life imploded again. Several things ended together: a job, a relationship, money, luck -- and she ended up homeless and living in her car in a laneway at the edge of the woods.

Author Biography

During a 9-month spell of homelessness, Anya started to describe her experiences by accessing the internet in her local library and writing an online journal. Her blog soon built up a regular readership and helped raise awareness of the issue of the 'hidden homeless'. Anya now lives in rented accommodation.