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Writing Shattered Paths has been one of the most personal and emotional experiences of my life. I didn’t write this book just to expose the hardships faced by children in the foster care system, but to share a multi-faceted story that brings out each individual’s journey. Every child’s experience with trauma is unique, and their ways of coping, growing, or just surviving are as varied as the challenges they face.
In Shattered Paths, I wanted to capture this diversity. Not every character in the book reacts the same way to their circumstances. For some, like Jack, anger and frustration are natural responses to feeling abandoned. For Emma, who tends to conceal her pain, silence becomes both a shield and a prison. And then there’s Oliver, whose optimism might seem surprising to some, but it reflects his belief in his worth despite his painful experiences. Each of them is shaped by trauma, but how they move forward—or sometimes stay stuck—speaks to the different ways people process pain.
Coping Mechanisms Beyond Resilience
Many books and conversations around foster care and trauma focus solely on resilience, but in reality, not everyone’s journey is about overcoming in a straightforward way. Sometimes, survival looks like simply enduring, or using coping mechanisms that don’t necessarily heal but help keep emotions at bay. In Shattered Paths, Jack’s anger and rebellious spirit are his way of coping with a world that’s let him down repeatedly. He’s fighting to survive in the only way he knows, even if it means pushing others away.
Emma’s tendency to internalise her pain showcases another response to trauma—emotional withdrawal. Rather than acting out, she hides her wounds, feeling that vulnerability will only make things worse. This quiet endurance is a real and often overlooked response in children facing trauma. Research shows that many children who undergo severe stress or neglect adopt this inward approach, hoping to protect themselves from further hurt.
The Power of Small Connections
One of the central elements in Shattered Paths is the role of connection, no matter how fleeting or fragile it may be. Trauma often isolates, creating a barrier that makes it hard for those affected to trust others or feel truly understood. I wanted to show that while connections don’t always “cure” the pain, they can provide moments of relief or support. For example, Jack might find brief solace in an unexpected friendship, while Emma experiences kindness from a stranger that reminds her she’s not invisible.
Research in the UK highlights how even the smallest acts of kindness or understanding can significantly impact a child’s self-worth and sense of belonging. In a system where many feel like they’re just another case file, these small connections can act as lifelines. I wanted readers to see how moments of understanding—even if they’re rare—can be grounding forces.
Understanding, Not Fixing
Another central theme in Shattered Paths is the idea that healing doesn’t mean “fixing.” Trauma doesn’t always come with easy answers, and for many, it’s a journey of learning to understand and accept their past rather than completely overcome it. Oliver’s story embodies this; his hopeful nature doesn’t erase his pain but allows him to find meaning within it. Healing, for him, is about accepting who he is despite what he’s been through, and finding peace on his own terms.
Healing for each of these characters—and for so many children in real life—doesn’t mean the absence of pain. It’s about living with it, sometimes finding strength in it, and understanding that scars don’t define their worth. This was an important message I wanted to communicate in the book because every person’s path through trauma is different.
A Message of Hope in All Its Forms
Shattered Paths is ultimately a story of varied experiences within a shared system, showing readers that while trauma may be common, responses to it are deeply individual. Not every child responds with resilience alone; some find solace in small connections, some rely on anger or silence, and others discover strength within their vulnerabilities.
My hope with Shattered Paths is to offer readers a more nuanced view of the foster care experience and to remind everyone that there’s no single “right” way to survive hardship. It’s a story that reaches out not only to those who have lived through similar experiences but also to those who may have never faced such trauma, offering them a window into lives shaped by resilience, survival, and hope in many forms.
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