An inspirational mum from Lancaster has told how she fled her war-torn country for a new life of freedom.
Yllka Thompson escaped Albania during a civil war and has built a new life for herself in England.
Yllka experienced a traumatic childhood in Albania, growing up under the strict communist regime of the Cold War era.
She decided to flee to save the lives of her young children, then aged four and nine, enduring a harrowing journey from country to country before reaching the UK.
Her new book 'Unbroken Soul' tells her true story and has been described as "a tale of danger, trafficking, violence and escape, but also about finding the inner strength to survive and thrive".
Five-star reviews on Amazon have called it "a wonderful story of a fantastic and strong woman" and one reviewer said "I hope they will make this book into a film".
Yllka now lives in Lancaster with her husband Neil and works at Boots in the city centre.
Her first book signing will take place at WH Smith on Market Street this Saturday (November 25) at 10am.
Ahead of the signing, she visited the Beyond Radio studio to talk about the book and her incredible life story.
LISTEN to Yllka's interview
In the interview, Yllka talks about her childhood in Albania, her harrowing escape, her new life in Lancaster, returning to a very different Albania in recent times, her thoughts on the reception to her book, and her views on media coverage of refugees.
'Unbroken Soul: An Albanian Girl's Escape from Terror to Freedom' is available online and you can also get copies at the book signing on Saturday.
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