Gina Cruz says she knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of 13, but her life took a dark turn when she found herself a victim of domestic violence.

“I was in denial at first,” she said.

However, she found comfort in writing.

“It was an escape because I didn’t want to deal with my reality,” she said.

With the help of her children, Cruz found the strength to leave her abusive relationship. First, she told the story to her children, then she wrote “Crime of Passion, When Love Begins to Hurt, Run,” an urban fiction loosely based on her experience.

Gina started working at Barnes & Noble at Colonie Center in 2018, simply because she loves books. She never imagined her books on the shelves, but with a little encouragement from her manager she was told to promote herself, and now they’re featured in the local author section for all to see.

“We’ve come a long way,” she said.

Writing saved Cruz’s life, and she hopes by sharing her story, it’ll have the power to help save others.

Learn more about the moment Cruz realized she was ready to write this book by watching the video of Taniqua Pennix’s story.