A year ago today, my life changed so much.

A book I self-published about the victim blaming of women thinking like 20 people would buy... sold 10,000 copies in a few weeks and me @Jaimi_Shrive & @MandyShrive fulfilled every order in lockdown from the dining room.

It’s been a wild year. I got an amazing agent @TBP_agency thanks to @jk_rowling generously contacting me to support me as I was getting overwhelmed with press and orders of the book. I got a multi-book deal with @LittleBrownUK @HachetteUK and I’ve started doing a lot of TV.

It’s not been plain sailing though. As soon as the book blew up, people I didn’t even know hated me. Hundreds of disgusting threads, posts &videos were posted about me. People I’d never heard of claimed to know me and @Jaimi_Shrive
People I respected & looked up to turned on me

With all the amazing positive things happening to me, there has honestly been equal amounts of utter shit. I’ve been hacked, sent thousands of death and rape threats, had my images sold online, been accused of things I’ve never said or done, lost contracts and friends.

Our house was broken into whilst Jaimi was asleep and I had just nipped out, and we were lucky enough that the book had sold so much that we could move house. Again, positives and negatives there.

Amongst all this

I was able to use this new platform to further the work of my company @Victim_Focus which provides free and affordable resources, education and research about abuse, violence, trauma and victim blaming all over the world.

We grew and now our resources are used in 70 countries

I am exceptionally lucky that my book was so successful and I am now getting ready to submit my second book to my publisher.

I’ve heard from thousands of women who have needed my books and journals and honestly I’m so grateful for your love and support in such a whirlwind

I would like to express my thanks to @caitlinmoran who has been there in several ways in the last year - and has recently given me advice and support about all this stuff. Thank you, I appreciate learning from you and the advice you have given to me.

I would also like to thank @Matthew_Wright for his support and conversations over the last year. Thank you for the chats, the support and for reviewing my book mate

And I know she’s generally off her social media because people are generally pricks to her but @jk_rowling literally changed my life purely by offering me some support, advice and her contacts. Thank you Jo. You’ll always be a key player in what I can achieve.

Another woman who has supported the book, and been there for me (even checking I hadn’t died in a hurricane in Cuba lmfao) is the brilliant @Dawn_French who often uses her platform to raise awareness of FGM and VAWG. Thank you so much for your time and support Dawn x

I’m now working on my new book, my new TV stuff and of course, our groundbreaking new free research - due out 30 April.

22,419 women in the UK responded to tell us their experiences of violence and abuse since birth and now we finally have the proof we always needed

During this time, our @Victim_Focus team has grown into a strong team of 6 women. We have created resources, e-learning, events, books and journals for thousands of professionals and members of the public. I know they have all worked incredibly hard during this wild period.