Kaya Gravitter
Women’s mental health, eating disorders, abusive Relationships, divorce, and the #metoo movement. The fact that a lot of women across the world have experienced these kinds of things first-hand, makes it even more important to break the stigma around it. That’s why I decided to write a book about it, in a time where women are coming forward against their abusers.
The book is called ‘After She Said Yes’ and I decided to write about the topics of divorce, abuse, anxiety, and interracial relationships in my novel, for a few reasons. It is partly because I have seen and/or experienced these experiences first-hand, but these are not the only reason. My love for writing and my life experiences led me to write this novel for the women speaking out against their abusers and for the women who still haven’t. Though the novel is fiction, I wrote this article in hopes my novel may many women who are going through abusive relationships, PTSD, or eating disorders. In the dedication part of my novel, I dedicate my novel to all women, so we may always have the strength to stand up to any man who tries to silence us. But to all of the women, I spent time with and tried to help from when I started volunteering at fourteen years old, I am writing this for you as well. I hope this article and my novel shows women that there is a light at the end of that sometimes very dark, what seems like a never-ending, dark tunnel.
After She Said Yes
The book is a Women’s Fiction Novel about Aurora, a magazine editor in Madison, Wisconsin. She finds her way out of an abusive marriage after catching her husband, Gannon, doing something she could never forgive him for. Battling the wounds inflicted throughout her abusive marriage, she strives to find the strength to be an independent woman again. Aurora is confronted with a rekindled flirtation with her soon-to-be ex-husband’s friend, Melih, a Turkish Muslim man. Finding surprising success after an article of hers goes viral, Aurora must make a choice. She tells herself to come to terms with the reality that a woman cannot have both a successful career and love. Will she pursue her long-awaited dream job, or choose a shot at love?
In the novel, you will learn about an organization called DAIS, the Domestic Abuse Intervention Services based in Madison, WI, where I had volunteered a few years ago. I talk about DAIS in my novel After She Said Yes. DAIS is not the only place I volunteered, I also have volunteered for other women’s shelters. This does not include any of their stories. The woman abused in my novel is well off, so I wanted to show that no matter how rich or poor a person is, it is hard to leave. I feel it is probably harder for a woman who is financially dependent on her significant other. But the novel focuses on more than only on domestic violence, it also sheds a light on what life is like after my protagonist has left her abuser and her growth after leaving.
On June 2nd, you can order Kaya’s novel, After She Said Yes, on Amazon, Books-A-Million, Barnes and Nobles, and many more places, such as your local bookstore. By the end of this week, the novel should be available for pre-order. If you cannot buy it, ask your local library to purchase it for you to read.
Follow Kaya on her website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebookto stay updated on her writing and novel release.
