After carrying her story for years, Trisha McLoughlin turns a lifetime of memories into a candid memoir about childhood, family, resilience, and finding the strength to move forward.
For years, the story existed mostly in Trisha McLoughlin's memories. It was there in the dolls she remembered from childhood, in the family changes she struggled to understand, in the years spent growing up in Alaska, and in the experiences that continued to influence her long after childhood had ended.
Now, McLoughlin has finally put those memories into words. The Dolls Were Listening is her deeply personal memoir about growing up amid family separation, abandonment, difficult childhood experiences, and challenging circumstances while discovering the determination needed to build a different future.
The story begins with McLoughlin's childhood in Eugene, Oregon. Born to teenage parents who later divorced, she became the oldest of nine children across two families. After the divorce, she and her siblings were taken to Oregon to live with their grandparents. What followed was a childhood filled with changing family dynamics, moments of love and security, painful experiences, and eventually a move to Alaska.
Throughout the memoir, dolls provide a unique way into those memories. Each doll is connected to a particular time in McLoughlin's life, creating a personal timeline that stretches from childhood innocence to experiences of loss, uncertainty, emotional survival, and adulthood. The objects become reminders of both the child she was and the woman she would become.
Yet the book does not remain in the past.
McLoughlin's life continued to evolve. She pursued an education at Alaska Business College, built a professional career, became an Executive Assistant to a CEO, married, raised two sons, travelled with her family, and eventually settled in north central Arizona. Her experiences gave her a perspective that could only come from living through the chapters she describes.
The decision to finally publish the memoir came after another unexpected chapter in her life. Following retirement, McLoughlin contracted COVID-19 and spent six weeks in the hospital. After surviving that serious illness, she felt compelled to return to the book she had been carrying for about ten years. Three more years passed before encouragement from her counselor and friends helped her finally complete it.
Now, the story belongs to readers. McLoughlin hopes that people who have experienced family struggles, abandonment, difficult relationships, or other challenging circumstances will see something of themselves in her journey and perhaps find the courage to keep moving forward.
Her message is simple and deeply personal: “It shouldn't hurt to be a child.”
About the Author
Trisha McLoughlin is a retired Executive Assistant and Office Manager. She earned an Executive Secretarial Degree from Alaska Business College in 1974 and went on to achieve her professional goal of becoming an Executive Assistant to a CEO. After almost 35 years in Alaska, she relocated to north central Arizona, where she lives with her husband, Ryan, and their two Chihuahuas.
With The Dolls Were Listening, McLoughlin transforms years of private memories into a story she hopes will help others recognise their own strength and believe that a painful past does not have to control the life ahead.
Media Contact:
Book Title: The Dolls Were Listening
Author: Trisha McLoughlin
Email: trishamclouglin@gmail.com
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