My Firefly - Book 1 - Walls of the Storm
Tenth Anniversary Edition

"Living is what's supposed to happen after you survive. It's life in post survival that defines the human character's ability to move forward from trauma." - Maggie Kirton

My Firefly is a true account of a child's abuse at the hands of her family. It will pull you into its pages and grab hold of your spirit.

Seen from the perspective of the family home, a young girl struggles to stay alive as she is slowly ripped apart emotionally, physically, and sexually by her father. You'll experience an abundance of feelings throughout this book and won't be able to put it down.

It is cruel and brutish and bloody. But in the end, Kirton shows that there is hope of having a full and meaningful life even after a horrible and traumatic experience.

Author's reply to reviewers: Why does the house tell the story? The people who do nothing; those who watch from the rafters, standing back and shaking their heads; those who stand by and pretend it didn't happen or that it has no importance; those are the people I'm trying to reach. The house screamed for me because I couldn't scream for myself when I wrote my story or when I lived it. No one heard me and those who did turned a blind eye. I was a waste of their time. Maybe if they remove themselves from my voice they might use their own to make a difference in someone else's life. So, thank you, all of you, for the reviews . . . it means that my book made some noise whether it is good or bad is really beside the point. I don't want the reader of my book to feel my pain or hear my screams. I want the reader to feel what the house felt: helpless, incapable, useless, and silent - because that is exactly how an abused child sees the world around them. An abused child is not so much in pain as much as they are 'alone' while waiting for the next pain to be done with.

And now, before you buy my book and read it, you are forewarned. This book is brutal, graphic in its details and its subject is insane on many levels. My Firefly is being used in different school systems in Canada to help identify abuse in students. It has opened the 'doors of hope' to many other survivors. It has helped remind me that I am alive in spite of its contents. Besides, there are too many incidents to mention that are NOT in this book - I only wrote about the easy ones. Imagination saved my life when I was a child; why shouldn't I write it in the most creative and unique voice possible?!

'My Firefly - Book 2 - Ventice' is currently being written in my voice and it will take you through the PTSD that came alive through the writing of My Firefly and continues to this day and you'll find out what happens when you press charges at the age of 54!

Remember, it's not about who tells your story - it's about 'telling' your story and then moving forward one step at a time! 'Living' is what's supposed to happen after you survive. It's life in post-survival that defines the human character's ability to move forward from trauma. I choose to live fully and completely in spite of my childhood because 'just surviving' isn't good enough for me!