A trilogy to inspire young survivors

The first book in the Dani Moore Trilogy, Reggie & Me explores a teenager’s search for normality in the aftermath of rape. There's very little details about what happened to Dani,so while her situation is affecting, the book is unlikely to prove traumatic for young readers. This is a trilogy about not only surviving, but thriving in the aftermath of abuse.

In book 2, Dani starts Sixth Form College. She hopes that this will be the new start she has been desperate for, having had a difficult final year at school. With an unwelcome change at home, her friends busy with their own lives and difficult reminders of her past, Dani wonders where she can turn for help. With her rescue dog, Reggie, by her side and a lifeline in the form of a new friend, will Dani make it through another roller-coaster year?

Book three finds teenage survivor Dani Moore in her second year of Sixth Form, desperate to pass her exams whilst also embarking on a new relationship... will she have the happy ending she dreams of?

On herwebsite, author Marie Yates says: "When I was planning my first book, all I knew was that I wanted to offer teenage survivors of sexual violence a message of hope. That was my goal. At the time, I was working with young survivors alongside my day job. No matter how many times I told them they could get through this stage of their life, they weren’t to blame and things would get better, it didn’t really make a difference. So, there was little point in writing a book that said all of those things because the chances of them reading it would be slim to none.

My reader is a teenage girl. She has had a tough time and she needs to be heard. She can be inspired and needs to know that life can be awesome. She also needs to know that there will be ups and downs along the way. She needs a friend, not an annoyingly enthusiastic adult who’s no longer on her wavelength.

In order to reach my reader, I created a teenage character, Dani Moore. Dani is a teenage survivor and the books are written through her diary. Dani can say the things I can’t say. She’s honest about how tough her life is, about the bad days and about the impact of her experience. She also shares the ways in which she tries to make life better for herself. I brought in other characters, all of whom had a part to play in sharing the message of hope. At every stage, I thought about how my reader would be able to learn from Dani while simply enjoying her story. After all, it is fiction!"

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