Beneath My Scars is an emotional and intimate account of Maskerine's escape from an abusive partner and the path that led her to safety. With unflinching honesty, she opens up about the isolating and paralyzing impact of domestic violence, shedding light on the complexities of leaving an abusive relationship. From a young age, Maskerine's feminist ideals and sense of justice were deeply ingrained, and her experience only fortified her resolve. Despite the numerous hurdles she faced, she emerged with a determination to turn her pain into a purpose. At thirty, after fleeing her home and leaving behind a lifetime of connections, she found love, safety, and a calling in establishing a transition house to support other women in similar situations. Her story challenges the common question, "Why doesn't she just leave?" and instead prompts us to ask, "Why does he do that?"

This powerful memoir is not just a testimony of survival but also a story of resilience, belonging, and the transformative power of breaking the silence. Maskerine’s narrative is a beacon of hope, illustrating how she transformed her scars into a roadmap for others to find their way to safety and self-discovery. It is also a poignant tale of the enduring love between a mother and her son, whose birth became the compass guiding her to a new life filled with meaning and purpose.

This is a story of a life saved.

Anna Maskerine is the Executive Director of a multi-service non-profit Society in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. As a survivor of high-risk violence, she has committed her life’s work to supporting other women who have experienced gender-based violence. She is especially passionate about supporting indigenous women who are disproportionately affected by GBV through holistic and culturally grounded services.

With over thirty years experience working in the domestic violence field, Maskerine was instrumental in the opening of a Transition House in Nelson, BC. She is dedicated to building collaborative safety nets with service providers and has worked tirelessly to increase the knowledge and understanding of those in the criminal justice system through facilitating interagency interdisciplinary teams and Integrated Case Assessment Team for High-Risk Domestic Violence cases. She has been a speaker and presenter at numerous domestic violence events and conferences both provincially and nationally.

She lives in Nelson, BC, where she is a mother, a grandmother to her two Métis granddaughters. Beneath My Scars is her first book.

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