FAQ
Q -
Your book is published almost fifteen years after your escape from Dubai. Why did you wait so long?
A -
My three sons were ages four, six and eight when we fled Dubai. They are now nineteen, twenty-one and twenty-three. We lived through some pretty horrific stuff. I needed them to heal, to become adults, and be in a place where they can read the book with a minimum of re-traumatization.
Q -
Why the title Harvesting Stones?
A -
Women are being stoned to death all over the world, figuratively and physically. As women we need to rise up, pick up those stones and instead of throwing them back at those who have harmed us, harvest those stones and make a better life for ourselves and for others.
Q -
Where is Ty now?
A -
Revealing what I know may put others in danger. I can say he has not changed, unfortunately.
Q -
Do you wish you had never met Ty?
A -
That is something I have asked myself many times and it is hard to answer. I wish my sons hadn’t experienced Ty’s abuse in their early childhoods. But if I hadn’t met Ty I probably wouldn’t be doing the work I do. Establishing an organization that provides a safety net for thousands of abused American women and children overseas, and some American men, every year is fulfilling. But as a mother I still feel sad and guilty about the abuse of the boys. Sometimes I feel angry about having rheumatoid arthritis and a permanent neck injury because of Ty’s abuse. But I am alive and happier than I have ever been. I have a partner that is the love of my life. Honestly, the answer to that question is an emotional quagmire.
Q -
How long did it take before you were willing to travel overseas again?
A -
Ten years. When we first came back I thought I would never leave the USA again! When the Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center received a grant from the Oak Foundation of Switzerland for our Global Campaign To Empower Americans Abused Abroad in 2009 I began traveling overseas again.
Q -
Where have you traveled that you enjoyed the most?
A -
Number one is definately India. I spent five weeks there in 2010. Three of those weeks I was in an Ayurvedic hospital in a remote village being treated for rheumatoid arthritis. Pattarumadom,
www.pattarumadom.com
Q -
Are there any other books in your future?
A -
I plan to go back for more Ayurveda treatment in India, hopefully in 2014. I would love to write a book about my Ayurveda adventures; something fun and lighthearted. So the answer is definitely maybe.