In Pursuit of Happiness

Two years ago, Stacey Duguid's happily ever after imploded messily, snottily, disastrously, and she is still clearing up the debris. The dream marriage she'd spent an entire lifetime pursuing shattered, leaving her half a person and angry. Who suggested 'happily ever after' was even a given thing?

In Pursuit of Happiness will bring you alongside Stacey's journey of divorce and dating, or, of mating, motherhood, marriage, money and mayhem. In mating, she'll look at societal expectations and the ideological notion that in order to be happy, we must breed, marry and co-habit with a mate. In marriage, she will delve into the unrealistic view that a relationship is forever and challenge our somewhat Victorian approach. In motherhood, she takes a gritty look at the reality of having a child, leaving work, post-natal depression, school gate politics, puberty and, of course, being a single parent. We then journey to a marriage in breakdown and the subsequent emotional and financial fall-out, and the importance of being financially independent. Enter: dating in midlife, and exciting toy boys and boring middle-aged men, also known as mayhem.

Through Stacey's own story, she will give the reader the courage, confidence and conviction to know that they are not alone on this journey of womanhood and that we all have the right to pursue our own happiness.