After I survived a year of emotional abuse, I felt like I needed to document what happened to me in some way. At first I thought I would start a blog, but I didn’t want to spend the money to start one up. I was also nervous of the “what if’s” that ran through my head. So, I simply started typing in Google Docs. I wrote about a page that was a rough blog about toxic in-laws and emotional abuse. I started to get into my story, but quickly became overwhelmed. It is a hefty story to sum up in a little blog. Plus the conversations seemed important, too. I couldn’t sum them up in a paragraph without getting a little deeper. Once I started writing in conversations, my manuscript took it’s breathe of life.
I wrote whenever my baby would nap. I wrote whenever I got the chance. My story poured out of my fingers and onto each page. I changed some things to make it into more of a fictionalized version. A little over half of a year later, my first rough draft was completed.
The MIL is a story I initially wrote for myself, to finally take back my voice and to make something useful out of my trauma for the greater good. It is a story I wrote for everyone else who has been in a similar situation. My hope for sharing my story is that it inspires others to choose themselves, believe themselves and grow for themselves. I hope that it inspires others to self-reflect, be kind and better themselves. I hope that it gives others hope through hardship and that it can be someone’s light in the darkness.
Towards the end of my traumatic experience, I read the book I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. It inspired me to be brave. It inspired me to get through the trauma and it made me feel validated that I am not crazy. I didn’t deserve the treatment I was receiving and I didn’t have to push it under the rug for others to feel more comfortable. That book helped me decide to stand up for myself and to have a tough conversation. It led to my eventual relief, peace and healing. That book helped inspire me to write my own story so that I could share with others what Jennette shared with me. Hope, inspiration, motivation and a belief that everything would end up okay.
Writing The MIL has been therapeutic and healing for me. It has been validating in so many ways. It has showed me how low I was and motivated me to keep growing so that I never get to such a dark place ever again. It allowed me to clearly see that what I had dealt with was not okay or healthy.
I am now excited to share a sneak peek into The MIL.
Adison Witley has just given birth to her first baby when her overbearing mother-in-law, Hilda, marches in to steal the show.
After Adison’s first week with her newborn goes awry due to Hilda’s behavior, Adison thinks the worst is behind her. Little does she know, Hilda is not who she thought she was. Adison has to fight to stay above water as her life seems to be unraveling around her. Terrified and threatened by the thought of losing her new family, Adison must do something to stop everything from completely falling apart. Can Adison survive becoming a new mom, navigating postpartum and keeping her marriage intact, all while dealing with toxic in-laws?
The MIL is a fiction novel based on a true story of a monster-in-law set out for blood and a new mom’s resilience in the face of darkness.
The MIL has officially been released as of November 18th, 2024.
The MIL is now available on Amazon for purchase and I have attached the link below. If you purchase my novel, thank you so much and I hope you enjoy it! Here’s to sharing our stories in the hopes that they may help others.
Allyson Bennett 
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