A Story of Secrets and Siblinghood is the personal, true account of the head spinning thoughts, feelings, and experiences that follow when author Tracey Maniskas, along with her sisters, learn a forever-held family secret.
At the age of 42, via a commercial DNA test, Tracey and her two sisters, with whom she was raised as triplets, faced a stunning revelation: At least one sister had a biological father different from the dad who had raised them. From 3 to 13… A Story of Secrets and Siblinghood covers the year following this genetic discovery as the sisters seek to determine if they are truly full siblings, confirm the identity of their unknown biological father, and navigate their unexpected new reality, all while connecting with additional family members they never knew they had.
“The majority of the story was composed by transcribing actual text and social media messages as we journeyed through this surreal experience,” said Tracey. “I wanted to immerse readers in the authentic conversations between my family members and friends as we discovered the full truth of who we are.”
Although it’s a story about donor-conceived individuals, the concept of secrets hurting families is relatable to nearly everyone. The broken trust after the secret comes to life compounds further information-seeking and creates additional pain when the truth emerges.
“My decision to write our story was to provide a glimpse into what a late-discovery donor conceived person may experience as they begin to integrate this new understanding of who they are,” continues Tracey. “I believe that our story will be helpful to both the donor-conceived person as well as the friends and family who provide them support along their journey.”
From 3 to 13Â also focuses on how difficult it is for both the children and their parents, who years ago were instructed to hide this biological truth, to have this revelation occur after decades of secrecy. An understanding of how this news may be received and affect the person newly let in on the secret may be helpful for parents whose children just learn of their donor conceived status, or who are considering acknowledging the truth to their children.
This complicated story is filled with numerous ups and downs, but in the end, the ups far outweigh the downs.
Available through: Amazon, Ingram
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tracey Maniskas earned her master’s degree in counseling psychology at Temple University. Having chosen her career path in eighth grade, she spent fifteen years focused on children’s public mental health before sustaining a life-changing brain injury at the age of 37. Following several years focused on recovery, Tracey opened a stress management practice where she combined her cognitive behavioral therapy background with her yoga teacher training to work with clients on personal awareness and relaxation techniques. Today, Tracey splits her time between suburban Philadelphia, Scottsdale, and Big Sky, Montana with her husband, Rich, and their dog, Sophie.
