What started out as a school project for Marianne Curtis has become a source of inspiration for others.

Finding Gloria, a self-published book which Curtis describes as part of her healing process, is set primarily in the communities of Steinbach and Landmark. It describes the trials and tribulations she endured including her adoption, abuse, bullying, rape, and mental illness.

Curtis said the book, which was released in April, was originally conceived as a school project when she returned to class in 2004 to obtain her high school diploma.

After sitting on her desk for a few years, Curtis decided to pick it up again following the death of her adopted mother in 2009.

"I began to see some patterns with her behaviour and was able to come to grips with the fact I was a victim of her," Curtis said.

"I was able to see that and focus on that, and then when I started to see the good things I knew there was more about the story here. It was a cleansing, and I was finally able to see patterns and change things."

Curtis said writing the book helped her understand why she made some of the mistakes she did during the past 40 years.

"It is my life story. I had a pretty horrific past, I was abused until I was about 15 and a half, and I fled from my life at that age and ended up being a runaway in foster care," said the mother of four.

"Writing the book brought me to the point where I was finally able to actually look at my life as an outsider would and able to see why I was doing certain things."

Sheri Grenier-Rooke, a former classmate of Curtis’s who reconnected with her a few months ago after 30 years apart, said reading the book helped her to recognize that Curtis was calling out for help at a young age.

"I’m seeing things in elementary (school) from a different perspective and I do remember her being a troublemaker, and I do remember certain things about her being bullied," Grenier-Rooke said.

"At a young age we wouldn’t have seen, but she was crying out for help."

Curtis said she didn’t intend to publish the book originally, but the positive response she has received makes her glad she did.

"It was to get it out of my system, it was my process. Nothing was ever going the right way because I was making the wrong choices," she said.

"I’ve been voiceless for so many years, and now I’ve found my voice plus I’m helping other people find their voice."

For more information on Finding Gloria visit http://mariannecurtis.wordpress.com/finding-gloria.

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adrian.alleyne@canstarnews.com