Seeking Literary Representation
Trust The Path
Darkness to light in a 1/4 mile
The illusion of a perfect life, perfect family, perfect…perfect, to a shattered and exposed marriage, world and self.
I was living my pretty, perfect life; married, raising three kids in my big beautiful house… you know the white-picket-fence thing, but I was oblivious to the fact that little-by-little, year-by-year, I was slipping away from me. Who I was. What I wanted. What I needed.
The day my husband threw “I’m not happy” at me was like a sledgehammer shattering my perfect life. In that instant, the life I knew was over.
The many months, and sadly years, that followed were of complete wreckage. The unraveling of information was devastating. I was wounded and raw, trying to lick the wounds of my divorce road rash. I was stripped of my life, my dignity and my happily ever after.
But for me this was NECESSARY. With the passage of time and the gift of retrospection I realized that the hardest part wasn’t the divorce, the hardest part was healing me.
This is when the real work began and when the tiny glimmers of love, light, and truth began weaving their way into every aspect of me, my life, my path.
Accountable. Vulnerable. Genuine. Naked. Trust The Path is my story, my personal hell… and my ultimate unveiling.
Non-fiction, memoir/narrative
Genre: Inspirational Biography / Autobiography
Tone: A raw, conversational, stream of consciousness written in a journal-style format.
Target:
- Female; 18+ Adult;
- Primary: Women embarking on a divorce: 426,0001 yearly
- Secondary: Women faced with personal trauma; identity crisis; mid-life crisis or empty nest
Word count: Approximately 34,208 words.
Completion: First draft complete.
Theme: Somewhat similar to the overall theme of Eat, Pray, Love. However, my personal journey unfolded close to home – within ¼ mile from where it began.
URL: www.TrustThePath.com
Speaking and Promotion: This healing process has enabled me to develop a blueprint of my process and the tools that resonated with me, empowered me and ultimately healed me. This knowledge, coupled with my communication/speaking skills, is the foundation that will enable me to share my story and encourage others to discover their path and process.
More: To learn more about Tricia and her path, visit.
Hook
While I was living my pretty perfect life; married, raising three kids, in my big beautiful house…I was oblivious to the fact that little-by-little, year-by-year, I was slipping away from me. Who I was. What I wanted. What I needed.
The day my husband threw “I’m not happy” at me, was a sledgehammer shattering my perfect life. In that instant, the life I knew was over.
Trust The Path is the 1/4 mile personal journey from darkness to light. The unearthing of me — my love, light, and truth.
Synopsis
The Overview:
The chilling revelation that I had willingly abandoned my dreams and myself (what I thought was) for the good of my family was sobering.
I was selfless, to the point of destruction. I was lost. Desperate to find out who I was.
So many women have lost their way. I was one of them.
Trust The Path is a story of discovery and hope. My documentation of every step along my path from devastation to the ultimate unveilment of true me.
While I was living my pretty perfect life; married, raising three kids, in my big beautiful house… you know the white-picket-fence thing, I was oblivious to the fact that little-by-little, year-by-year, I was slipping away from me. Who I was. What I wanted. What I needed.
The day my husband threw “I’m not happy” at me, was like a sledgehammer shattering my perfect life.
In that instant, the life I knew was over.
The many months, and sadly the years, that followed were of complete wreckage. The unraveling of information was devastating. I was wounded and raw, trying to lick the wounds of my divorce road rash. I was stripped of my life, my dignity and my happily ever after.
But for me this was NECESSARY. With the passage of time and the gift of retrospection I realized that the hardest part wasn’t the divorce, the hardest part was healing me.
This is when the real work began and when the tiny glimmers of love, light, and truth began weaving their way into every aspect of me, my life, my path.
The Journey:
Trust The Path is my journey as I navigated my personal crisis of self and how I found healing, spirit, purpose, and truth.
This book is the fingerprint of my soul. My account of the most difficult time in my life. Representing the deepest parts of me that yearned to be free.
My path is to tell my story. My truth. As painful as it was to live, it was more painful to write and re-live word after word and tear after tear. For me to be the best version of me, it is my purpose to expose this dark side of me and my journey. It is my job to be vulnerable for all that don’t know how.
This is my story, my personal hell. It is my journey of disillusion, devastation, and despair and how glimmers of love, light and truth began weaving their way into every aspect of me, my life, and my path.
This is my journey.
These are my truths.
It is through my love, strength, courage, gratitude, forgiveness, trust and truth that I share with you my journey of ‘perfect’, to shattered, to ME!
Take with you what resonates and embody anything else that brings you love, light, and truth.
My Truth:
This book represents my greatest fear; revealing who I truly am.
It is about being authentically me.
Accountable.
Vulnerable.
Genuine.
It is RAW truth.
Naked.
It is my account of the most difficult journey of my life.
When I began writing this, it was never intended to be a book. Only handwritten journal entries as I navigated my divorce. The journal entries made their way into loose documents on my laptop. Those entries then got organized into sections, then into chapters. It was not until that time that I realized I was writing a book.
It was raw, told through the eyes of a victim. I was not able to read it. It was too hard. Many months followed and I continued my journey. I have always known deep inside that it is my path to tell my story. I was tortured by what the exposure of this book would mean for me. It haunted me. Then my answer – truth. This is my story, told through my eyes. It is an account of my experiences. By removing the voice of the victim and telling the story through the eyes of truth – it is told.
“The truth will set you free,” quoted by many.
Table of Contents:
Section 1: The Beginning
Chapter 1: Love
Section 2: Derailed
Chapter 2: Love
Chapter 3: The Gray Area
Chapter 4: Denial
Chapter 5: Foreshadowing
Chapter 6: Shut Down
Chapter 7: Who Am I
Chapter 8: Self-Worth
Section 3: Swirling
Chapter 9: Perfect Perfect
Chapter 10: Time To Tell
Chapter 11: Whew That Was Fast
Chapter 12: It Was Just Over
Chapter 13: Just Me
Section 4: Is This Really My Reality
Chapter 14: Him
Chapter 15: The Other
Chapter 16: Her
Chapter 17: Betrayal
Chapter 18: Evil vs. Love
Chapter 19: Unaffected
Chapter 20: Are You Happy Yet
Chapter 21: Fringe
Chapter 22: Kids
Chapter 23: Casualties
Section 5: Uncovering Myself
Chapter 24: I Didn’t Matter
Chapter 25: My Heart
Chapter 26: Foretelling
Chapter 27: Stifled
Chapter 28: My Process
Chapter 29: My Body
Chapter 30: Boundaries
Chapter 31: Learning To Love Myself
Chapter 32: Unidentified
Chapter 33: The Mirror
Chapter 34: Tired
Chapter 35: Openness
Chapter 36: True Pink
Chapter 37: My Bubble My Wall
Chapter 38: The Right Way
Chapter 39: I’m Dating Me
Section 6: Letting the Light In
Chapter 40: Ah Ha
Chapter 41: Kool-Aid
Chapter 42: Karma
Chapter 43: My Heart. My Love
Chapter 44: Moving On
Chapter 45: New Way New Me
Chapter 46: Blind Faith
Chapter 47: My Power
Chapter 48: Perfect Gets Real
Chapter 49: Heavy
Chapter 50: I Believe
Chapter 51: I See
Chapter 52: All You Need Is Love
Chapter 53: Perfect Gets Real
Chapter 54: Return My Pieces
Section 7: Inspired Action
Chapter 55: Love, Strength, Courage, Forgiveness, Trust, Truth
Chapter 56: So It Is
Chapter 57: Walk the Walk
Chapter 58: Celebrations of Life
Chapter 59: Finding Peace
Chapter 60: My Vow
Section 8: The Finale
Chapter 61: She + He
Chapter 62: The Pattern Continues
Chapter 63: Happily Ever After
Chapter 64: The End The Beginning
Chapter 65: YOU ARE THE PRIZE
Chapter 66: My ‘Man’
Chapter 67: Unwritten
Chapter 68: Me
Chapter 69: Positive Chaos
Chapter 70: I am I can
Chapter 71: Trust
If you are a literary agent or publisher interested in my manuscript, please contact me directly at:
817.965.0541
Tricia@TriciaMahoney.com
1 2010 Americans for Divorce Reform