"Journey of an Unraveled Road" reveals the journey of a woman plagued by childhood trauma and her uncharted journey revealing a perceived reality through a distorted pair of rose glasses. Faced with life's problems, she discloses the errors of her ways that enabled a lifetime of harmful behavioral patterns, which allowed people through her journey to perform the ultimate sin. As a result, each decision she made, molded her happiness and authentic self through her stigmas, insecurities, and fears. Armed with courage and accountability, she slowly repairs the wounds of the past to silence the ghost that once haunted her transforming into a uniquely changed version revealing her true self, which begins the journey of an unraveled road she now is on.
FRIEDA LOPEZ
Author website: www.Friedathewriter.com
Goodreads site: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/115344829-frieda-lopez
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/friedathewriter/
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/friedathewriter/
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Tell your readers a little about yourself, where you grew up,
where you live now, where you went to school etc. Let them get to know the
personal you.
My name is
Frieda Josephine Lopez. I was born and raised in San Antonio, TX in the heart
of the West Side. I lived in Houston, TX, for three years (my home away from
home) and recently moved back due to the adversity I speak about in my book.
After high school, I attended San Antonio College where my love affair for the
humanities began, which lead to graduating with a Bachelors in Fine Arts in
Fashion Design at International Academy of Design and Technology, and obtaining
my Masters in Business Administration from American Intercontinental University.
I will be attending college in the fall, where the Journey my book led me to
has compelled me to pursue a degree in Psychology with a big picture plan,
hopes of gaining acceptance to gain my doctorate, as my Journey has shown an
effective future as a Psychiatrist. The best way to sum my existence up is with
Journey's "Anyway You Want It" as I love to dance, love to sing, I do
everything. I have a passion for science and biology, expressional arts such as
singing and dancing (which had me prior to the book audition for American
Idol), and pursing fashion design as a hobby along with woodwork and
furniture building. Love comedies and action movies, love orchids, the
outdoors, cooking, and sparing with the heavy bag. I always take accountability
for the things I have control and willingly become a voice for those who may
not have one yet. Family is everything to me and although I am single, hope
that my Journey will one day present the right for me; as I have a free spirit,
passionate, and a bit of stubbornness, would one day find someone who can
reciprocate the same respect, compassion, and humble confidence in their selves
that "Journey of an Unraveled Road" has helped me conserve which is
my compassion and empathy and humility in my self-love and respect. It's all
about the Journey and the experience you gain from it.
What inspired you to author this book?
This was a labor of love, as this was meant to be a journal. But
while telling my story, revealed that the pain I had, were the same pains those
who wronged me had, which in the injustices bestowed on me was an injustice by
someone else, revealed the ugly truth, the resolved issues were never resolved.
Recognizing my behavior patterns and the effects that I allowed it to show that
the value we perceive is a band aid for the things that pain us, that we never
come to terms with as "others have it worse, and some pained the shame it
brought them. Reminded in every chapter of my life by the "unworthy
misfits of society that would never amount to nothing" selflessly assured
my pain and actions would result into the coping mechanism they use to numb the
pain regardless of the entitlement or mistreatment I unintentionally inflicted.
Not only was the book gaining justice and compassion from the place I was shown
the most love and acceptance, "the wrong side of tracks" not only had
me aid those I came from but those temporarily disabled. Since I already lost
it all, I had nothing to lose. The book became my life, even if only one
person, it was my mission (call it a divine intervention) to be the example of
how humility, modern day chastity, charity, gratitude, temperance, patience,
and diligence looks like in the burning world we currently live in which
thrives in pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth all in the sake
of gaining the success social norms perceives in hopes that maybe even if it's
just one person can earn a fair chance to rebuild the life they earned. Hoping
that all the things I've done win or lose can help those rise from the ashes.
Where did you get the inspiration for your book's cover?
The picture on the back cover is the place I would do all my
life-changing thinking, which is located at San Antonio's Woodlawn Lake Park.
My Aunt Ruth introduced me to the lake at age three years old and designated
the spot to gather my thoughts that we always went to together, which is why
she will always be my FGM (Fairy God Mother). This is the spot I would release
the feelings I would hold on, and this is where I started writing poetry, this
is where no matter how much my heart broke had me leave toxic situations, where
I was able to determine the best action to assure everyone's best interest was
considered. The collage of pictures is in those darkest moments I faced,
revealed a light. Which before this would have taken people, experiences, the
best things in life that are free for granted. Without these moments of hopes,
I would have never stopped turning my head, find myself, and with my world
coming down, gain the courage to not only fight for my cause but provide a
window to help someone else's cause.
Who has been the most significant influence on you personally
and as a writer?
It's hard to just pinpoint one. This was a collaborative effort.
My courage isn't just my own courage but a mosaic of the courage. The
unconditional love and the compassion that those who sincerely cared about me
despite their misinterpreted intentions many times have I fell down, licked my
wounds, and embraced me with open arms regardless of the bad behaviors I was
developing in my attempts of gaining success. Mutually understanding of it
being unintended was why I feel everyone deserves a fair chance of redemption
and wisdom I always was receptive to no matter where I was in life, empowered
me at the start of the Journey. The greatest blessings are that while in motion
post book journey, I always was provided by the Universe, someone who with
nobility and sincerity guided me on the things I never got as those who
previous guided me could not understand how to help me as they gave into the
perceptions those who should of known better perceived, letting me fly so I can
fly higher while under their wing.
What were your struggles or obstacles you had to overcome to get
this book written?
Forgiving those who should have known better was the hardest
thing to overcome in this Journey. You can't help but feel anger and wrath to
those who had the power to stop, prevent, or end treatment from happening. I
lied to myself when I said I forgave because in the only way they were taught
on how influence work. I took it
personally. I intentionally pulled veins out of an entitlement I gained
"fight fire with fire." Forgiveness meant I had to let go of a life,
things, people I not only invested in but also dedicated a lifetime gaining.
But that's how I gained the knowledge of true genuine love. I had to be
transparent, set boundaries, and hold myself and them accountable for crossing
them. I always gave in to the deflecting guilt and ended up just enabling their
bad behavior that had them do worst things to me which if I stuck to the cause
and effect of crossing my boundaries, may have saved both of us the time wasted
justifying the servility of the offenses that we both caused one another; we
could have been sharing more moments that outweighed all the bad with the good.
While they focus on the bad things we both experienced, I think of the good
ones, which the good person they still are is just battling with perceived
judgments I don't even have causing them to self preserve with negative behaviors
that we both engaged in, that has them thinking the worst of me, as me keeping
my distance isn't because I don't love them anymore. It's because in my heart I
know, in their heart, they know the things they try to convince themselves aren't
true. And that one day, when they are ready to heal, can give them the help I
gotten from those who loved me just the same, later on in life.
Tell your readers about your book.
"Journey of an Unraveled Road" reveals the Journey of
a woman plagued by childhood trauma and her uncharted Journey revealing a
perceived reality through a distorted pair of rose glasses. Faced with life's
problems, she discloses the errors of her ways that enabled a lifetime of
harmful behavioral patterns, which allowed people through her Journey to
perform the ultimate sin. As a result, each decision she made, molded her
happiness and authentic self through her stigmas, insecurities, and fears.
Armed with courage and accountability, she slowly repairs the wounds of the
past to silence the ghost that once haunted her transforming into a uniquely
changed version revealing her true self, which begins the Journey of an
unraveled road she now is on.
Who is your target audience, and why?
I feel that everyone receptive is a largest audience. We all have
experienced that "shit hits the fan" moment that just floods us with
the insecurities from the ghost of the past. We are all misfits living in a
world on us. I have nothing to lose, why not let this misfit be the voice for
the people like us.
What do you consider your greatest success in life?
Facing my inner demons and realizing that success is in my eyes
the ability to perceive. The most beautiful thing I have seen in my life is
when people perceiver in the most desperate times in adversity. At that moment,
regardless of the fear they physically show, the moment of gaining courage and
expressing love and someone they can count on standing by them.
What one unique thing sets you apart from other writers in your
genre?
Being a "self-help," you have to follow the steps to
achieve the help given and in some instances become ineffective as it addresses
the root of the stigma, perception, or struggle by putting a band-aid on that
can lead into acts of self-sabotage with the conditioned mantras used to
motivate you. The self-help I provide is advice, tactics that can be tailored
to everyone, in any chapter, eliminating resentment as your not failing if you
make the same mistake. The same error becomes motivation that measures your
progress to perfect your skill as long as you still have the desire for change
and drive to gain courage, you're already ten steps ahead in the game.
