DAWN SCHILLER Author of The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes

Dawn Schiller was 15 years old in 1976, when she met 32-year- old porn star John Holmes. After courting Schiller, Holmes began a sexual relationship with her, manipulating her with drugs and alcohol and physically and emotionally abusing her for several years. After the famed Wonderland murders in 1981, Holmes and Schiller fled to Florida, where she ultimately broke free and turned him over to the police.

Schiller eventually relocated to Northern California and finally to the Pacific Northwest, where she now resides with her daughter. In addition to being a devoted mother, Schiller has worked as an Associate Producer and consultant on the movie “Wonderland,” where she was portrayed by famed actress Kate Bosworth. John Holmes was played by renowned actor Val Kilmer.

A national advocate for preventing teen victimization, Schiller started ”Our Throwaway Teens—Who Are They and How Can We Help?,” a national platform that seeks to raise awareness of the vulnerabilities to a teen that grows up in an abusive and neglected environment. Schiller routinely speaks to audiences about several vital issues related to teen victimization: what happens emotionally to a teen targeted and groomed by a predator, how to identify a young victim in trouble, pedophile seduction techniques and the use of addictive drugs to manipulate and trap a victim. Giving an insider’s view of what it’s like to be a ”throwaway teen,” Schiller hopes to encourage communities to better shelter their teen population through outreach programs and education. Schiller is also the founder of E.S.T.E.A.M. (Empowering Successful Teens through Education, Awareness and Mentoring), a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting teens who are struggling to find a safe and successful path to adulthood.

Schiller is a member of the Education Committee and is an Advisory Board member for the National Center of Victims of Crime in Washington D.C. as well as for The Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center and Voices Set Free. Schiller has been awarded the Woman of Vision and Courage Award from the President’s Commission on the Status of Women. Her memoir, The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes will be published this August 2010 by Medallion Press. Schiller has been abstinent from drugs and alcohol for many years.

For more information on Dawn Schiller, please visit: www.dawn-schiller.com.

To book an interview with Dawn Schiller or for more information about her memoir, The Road Through Wonderland, please contact Jen Wisnowski, Publicity Manager, Independent Publishers Group, (312) 337-0747 ext. 227 or [email protected]