Child sex abuse survivor’s long awaited second book now published in paperback

A CHILD-SEX abuse and cancer survivor’s long awaited second book of poetry is published worldwide in paperback today (Monday, 18 February 2019).

Multi award-winning writer Nic Outterside quit his 28 year career in newspaper and magazine journalism following a nervous breakdown in June 2013.

He began the slow road to recovery under the watchful eyes of his doctor and the support of his family. Part of the suggested therapy was for him to begin writing and talking about the life experiences which had led to his breakdown.

His first paperback book The Hill – Songs and Poems of Darkness and Light, published in November 2014. It was met with international acclaim and the first 1,000 print edition has almost sold out.

“From childhood sexual abuse, through cancer, bereavement, bankruptcy, divorce, repossession of my home, the loss of two of my children and an assault which almost took my life, I guess there was a lot to write about,” says Nic.

Last May, after a three year wait, he published its sequel Another Hill – Songs and Poems of Love and Theft as a Kindle e-book.

Such was the positive response that it has been published today as a 134 page large format paperback, complete with illustrations by Moscow artist Helene Vasileva.

“When I released The Hill in November 2014, I was struggling to get back to a life of sorts and fighting my way out of the corner,” explains Nic.

“By the middle of 2016, I was more than halfway through writing a raft of poems for the new book and by this time I was out of the corner, but still fighting.

“But by the time all the work for Another Hill – Songs and Poems of Love and Theft was concluded I was so far out of the corner you wouldn’t find me… I had found my way home.

“I am so grateful to my close family and many friends who have given me support, inspiration and encouragement over the past six years,” he adds.

Another Hill – Songs and Poems of Love and Theft

In paperback is priced at £6.99 and available from:

www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Hill-Songs-Poems-Theft/dp/1796807575/

The Kindle e-book is also available at £2.21 from:

www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Hill-Songs-Poems-Theft-ebook/dp/B07CXYJTV4/

Both versions are also available on other international Amazon platforms.

 

 

Child sex abuse survivor’s long awaited second book now published worldwide

A CHILD-SEX abuse and cancer survivor’s long awaited second book of poetry is published worldwide today (Wednesday, 9 May 2018).

Multi award-winning writer Nic Outterside quit his 28 year career in newspaper and magazine journalism following a nervous breakdown in June 2013.

He began the slow road to recovery under the watchful eyes of his doctor and the support of his family. Part of the suggested therapy was for him to begin writing and talking about the life experiences which had led to his breakdown.

His first paperback book The Hill – Songs and Poems of Darkness and Light, published in November 2014. It was met with international acclaim and the first 1,000 print edition has almost sold out.

“From childhood sexual abuse, through cancer, bereavement, bankruptcy, divorce, repossession of my home, the loss of two of my children and an assault which almost took my life, I guess there was a lot to write about,” says Nic.

Last week, Nic made the book more widely available by publishing a second edition on Amazon Kindle.

Now, after a three year wait, he has published its sequel Another Hill – Songs and Poems of Love and Theft.

“When I released The Hill in November 2014, I was struggling to get back to a life of sorts and fighting my way out of the corner,” explains Nic.

“I am still really proud of that work… it is certainly raw and maybe at times too personal. I now view it as less as an anthology of songs and poems, and more as a document of my life.

“By the middle of 2016, I was more than halfway through writing a raft of poems for the new book and by this time I was out of the corner, and still fighting.

“But by the time all the work for Another Hill – Songs and Poems of Love and Theft was concluded I was so far out of the corner you won’t find me… I have at last found my way home.

“I am so grateful to my close family and many friends who have given me support, inspiration and encouragement over the past five years,” he adds.

Another Hill – Songs and Poems of Love and Theft is priced at £2.20 ($3) on Amazon Kindle at: www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Hill-Songs-Poems-Theft-ebook/dp/B07CXYJTV4/

 

Words for Friends #4

This is part of a new series of blogs entitled Words for Friends, in which I will try to acknowledge some people in my life for whom words of thanks are not nearly enough.

These living epitaphs to my true and lovely friends are published in a random order as fancy takes me.

 #4 Jude

I met Jude by something in this life we might call divine coincidence.

Jude had read a couple of my blog and Twitter postings about the sexual abuse I suffered as a young teenager and soon made friends via social media.

She is an intelligent young married mum of three lively children and is in a constant battle with social services over her ability to care for them. You see, she too had suffered similar extensive sexual abuse as a child and like me was struggling to find ways to express her emotions. And like me, that struggle has sometimes relied on self-medication.

She too has resorted to writing poetry as an escape valve for her continuing angst. Her poems are epic and written from the soul.

For more than a year we have been swapping our poems and our stories. Now she is writing her autobiography and I have promised to edit and publish it for her.

Jude is a precious fellow traveller and now an equally precious friend and confidante.

I am sure that she will not only survive, but flourish.

Poem: Named and Shamed

Right from the start you were

Aiming to rip innocence from

Young kids in your care

Molesting for your pleasure

Our weakness laid bare

Never once did you stop

Doing what you wanted

Dragging boys down for your lust

Owning flesh with our guilt

Our lives decayed like rust

Leaving minds scarred and scared

And now my long dead demon I have

Named you

 

Poem: Battleground

You tore my innocence

Away from me

You took my health

And future too

You took my body

Left it scarred

You killed my closest

Cried tears of grief

You stole my love

And threw back hate

You captured my children

Then twisted the truth

You took my trust

Lied and cheated

You grabbed my home

And made me poor

You hit me hard

Left me bleeding

You gave me a battle

And still I’m fighting