Memoir
Date Published: July 5, 2023
We all have two lives. We only get to experience living in the second after
we realize we only have just one.
Simon Yeats had his first real scare in life when he was attacked by a
kangaroo when he was seven years old. His first brush with the cliff-face
edge of death came when he was 12. His father drove his family down the
dangerous, 4WD only Skipper's Canyon dirt road in New Zealand in a rented
minivan.
Including the occasions he was almost involved in two different plane
flight crashes, in the same night, there have been at least a half dozen
more times when the author has come within a moment's inattention of being
killed.
However, none of those frightening incidents compare to what he experiences
after his son is abducted to South America.
This memoir is the story of how Simon used the traumatic experiences of his
life to give him strength to forge on during an incomprehensible 13 year
fight to be a father to his son.
What did it take for him to get to his second life?
It took him to truly understand what fear is.
INTERVIEW
What was your main drive to write this book?
My son has been the victim of an unseen and unwarranted abuse for 14 years of his life. As a broken-hearted parent, who has been prevented from intervening to help by the very court system that we are supposed to trust with ensuring our safety and welfare, I have tried to do whatever I can do to bring his story to light. Writing this book was one such way. I have lost all faith in humanity because of what has happened in his life and the absolute lack of will in people to act when they see a wrong.
What do you hope readers will learn by reading this book?
Readers will get an understanding that there are bad people in this world. And those bad people can sometimes do whatever they want with the help of systems that do not care about people as individuals. I hope readers realize just how fragile their life is and how close any of us are to having everything stripped from us. Whether it be our health or our family.
Did you do much research when planning this book?
Yes, I spent the last 14 years being involved in the development of this story. I spent 14 sleepless years struggling and crying to help my son.
Did you have any main people who helped you in the process of this book or influenced you to write it?
No, I did everything alone. In times of crisis, every person will learn that they are all alone. There is no knight in shining armor who will ride in to support you. There are no miracle cures, or angels standing over us. When everything is going well, there are always people around to share your success. When things get tough, people need to know that everyone they think will be there to support them will disappear.
How long did this book take you to write from initial thought to hitting publish?
It has taken me over ten years. I wrote at the beginning purely to maintain my mental health. Then I have written several versions of the story, but none ever did the story justice. I am as close as I can get to this version with what I could bring to this story.
Do you have plans to write more about this topic or new topics?
I write other travel memoir books in a humorous vein because I need to find happiness in my life anyway I can at present. This story will shock people. They will be barely able to comprehend that it is real. I have had to find some way to see some light at the end of the tunnel, so I have been writing a travel memoir series of Lesser Known Travel Tips as a balance the heartbreak of My SECOND Life.
About the Author
Simon Yeats has lived nine lives, and by all estimations, is fast running
out of the number he has left. His life of globetrotting the globe was not
the one he expected to lead. He grew up a quiet, shy boy teased by other
kids on the playgrounds for his red hair. But he developed a keen wit and
sense of humor to always see the funnier side of life.
With an overwhelming love of travel, a propensity to find trouble where
there was none, and being a passionate advocate of mental health,
Simon’s stories will leave a reader either rolling on the floor in
tears of laughter, or breathing deeply that the adventures he has led were
survived.
No author has laughed longer or cried with less restraint at the travails
of life.
Contact Links
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads
Instagram: @authoryeats
TikTok: @authoryeats
Purchase Links
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1 Comments
Thank you for featuring my book on your blog.
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