Summary: Eloise Bartlett, whose debut book, It Happened in July, is drawn from the heartbreaking and heroic events of her own life. What follows is a raw and honest journey through the emotional wreckage of attempted suicide, the quiet storm of cancer, and the painful unraveling of a marriage marked by domestic abuse. Don’t miss this powerful episode. It’s a reminder that even in the darkest moments, there’s a light worth fighting for.

Transcript: Welcome to this edition of Newsgram!

Eloise Bartlett’s lifelong dream of writing a book has finally come true though its inspiration came from a series of tragedies she never wished for. Brace yourself because today we are going to delve into some highly sensitive areas including Eloise Bartlett’s challenges in the face of suicide, cancer, and domestic violence.

Eloise Bartlett – Can you imagine being at work receiving a phone call from your daughter saying there’s no power in the house because she had tried to kill herself?

Eloise Bartlett – On the 21st of July 2006, my eldest daughter stood in a bathtub and dropped a switched-on bar heater into the water.

The worst phone call I could possibly imagine. Of course grateful that the circuits blew but then one year later, tragedy struck again.

Eloise Bartlett – A year later, in July 2007, I was diagnosed with cancer

Dealing with bad news is never easy but we all have an inner strength that we can tap into to deal with these kinds of personal challenges and fears. Despite the diagnosis Eloise was not yet pushed to the breaking point but she was also trying to deal with all of this and her abusive husband so…something had to give.

Eloise Bartlett – and then the following year, also in July 2008, I left my mentally abusive husband. I decided that I’d had enough and I needed to stand up for myself and leave him.

A bold decision that resulted in him stalking her and threatening her life and if you are following the timeline here you’ll see that everything seems to happen to Eloise in the Month of July.

Eloise Bartlett – Yes, that’s right. In fact, it’s called It Happened in July because a friend of mine, I was telling her about my book I was writing. It had a different title at that time and she said to me, wow, funny how everything happened in July. That’s when I decided to change the title.

It Happened in July is a fictional story but it is based on the real life events in her life. In fact Eloise Bartlett is a pen name but her stories are all true.

Eloise Bartlett – Yes, basically, the book is about my life. It’s a pretty honest account of what happened. I was advised to change all the names and that sort of thing because of possible liable things, but it’s a pretty true account of what was happening at the time.

So the main characters are named Wendy and Dave but the decision for Wendy to leave her mentally abusive husband in July 2008 was very real.

Eloise Bartlett – Very early in my separation, it became obvious that I would need to get a restraining order. So, I started keeping a notebook to record conversations and events as they happened to report to the police. I had a good body of evidence. I also recorded how I felt at the time and everything that happened. The notebook actually helped me to start writing my book.

And so “It happened in July “ was born, If you need a book to share at a book-club that is thought provoking and inspires conversation, then this just may be it. It’s based on real-life stories about someone facing tough challenges and coming out stronger on the other side.

Eloise Bartlett – It takes a lot of courage to leave an abusive relationship. I hope to inspire women in a similar situation to be able to reclaim their lives and take charge of them. To be in control, not control.

Domestic violence has to end. And to remember, the most important thing, where do you want to be in five years?

The book talks a great deal about her relationship and there’s a good reason for that. She wants women in a similar situation to understand that, while it may not feel like it, you do have options and you can control your own destiny and be happy. In the case of domestic violence it starts with a restraining order and I know the first response is going to be good, he’s not going to abide by one of those and that’s true but you have to start somewhere and having the law on your side is a great first step.

Eloise Bartlett – If you’re thinking of getting a domestic violence restraining order, you need to keep a record of what’s happening, including dates, times and places. The police need these to take them to court. The domestic restraining order can be issued and then it can be taken to court a bit later and granted by the judge and then that gives the woman, hopefully, a couple of years of safety for the husband to cool down and not be so angry. When I was reporting one of the breaches of the restraining order at a local police station, a woman came in to report that her ex-husband had actually broken into her unit and stolen the computer that she kept her notes on. So it’s pretty important that you’re able to access your information easily and you’ve got to keep it safe.

And I can’t tell you how many authors created their first book from journals they kept on their nightstand., just sayin. Eloise has since moved and met her new husband who she loves very much. It’s not giving too much away here to say there can be a happy ending.

Eloise Bartlett – I have the freedom to walk the streets without looking over my shoulder. I don’t feel the need to barricade myself in the house…I can walk down the street and take my dog for a walk and not be worried that someone is following me. I can go down the beach and have fun there. I can go down the shops too and just go shopping and not worry if anyone’s following me or likely to come up to me at any moment to start intimidating me.

You can hear it in her voice—Eloise lives in Australia now, surrounded by sunshine and beautiful beaches. Her story is a powerful reminder that healing is possible. I’m sure it took her many years to stop dreading the month of July, but eventually, the fear passed.

I want to leave you with this: If you or someone you know is facing domestic violence, struggling with thoughts of suicide, or going through a serious health challenge—you are not alone. And you are stronger than you think.

Eloise reclaimed her life, her safety, and her joy. And through her book, It Happened in July, she’s now helping others do the same. It’s available now online wherever you like to buy books or you can visit her website https://www.ithappenedinjuly.com/.

Thanks for listening to edition of Newsgram from Webtalkradio.com

https://www.amazon.com/Happened-July-Eloise-Bartlett-ebook/dp/B0DQ495PST/