Marie van-Doorn

A few years ago I heard a quote that inspired me:

'Life must be lived forward but can only be understood backwards?' By philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, and felt the time was right to write what was essentially a true story.

I have always loved writing. Poetry and fiction was my therapy and since I was teen I would proudly watch my stories come to life on paper.

The theme was always the same, rural Queensland locations, rising above loss, pain, betrayel, and complicated love.

Much of my early work was created on an old Remington typewriter and involved many a sleepless night whilst burning the midnight oil at my kitchen table in country Queensland (Australia).

With four young children and a farm to manage, it was challenging but it was therapuetic to see the words on paper.

I completed so many manuscripts and poetry, it was my outlet, but I never tried to publish.

Upon meeting my natural family in the early 80's, I discovered a fascinating backstory that truly deserved to be told and so began the telling of how I came to be.

The writing process went through many seasons and for many years the manuscript lay dormant until finally, I decided the time had come to let other people understand the turbulant journey of both my Mothers and Fathers as they made their way along the often rocky path of life.

Bella Butterfly is me, and the story begins before i was born. The names, countries and certain circumstances have been altered to protect my families identities but i felt it was time to tell my parents story through their very different but often painful experiences.