Rite of Awakening
by Lorna Tedder
Fiction · Rites of Passage Trilogy · Book 1
Think: Cheryl Strayed meets Alice Hoffman meets Deborah Harkness in a Gothic-tinged journey of spiritual awakening, personal transformation, and reclaiming power from toxic systems and illusions.
Description
Lauren Hartford is a spiritual consultant and soon-to-be single mother ready to reclaim her life after two decades in an emotionally abusive marriage. She expects her Third Degree Elevation in the Dragon Hart Grand Coven to mark her spiritual rebirth—but instead uncovers unsettling truths, hidden manipulation, and the dangerous cost of loyalty to a failing system.
Breaking free isn’t just about signing divorce papers—it means unraveling illusions, confronting spiritual abuse, and protecting her daughters from a legacy of control. As her coven fractures and personal battles escalate, Lauren must choose between staying safe in tradition or stepping into her full power. Rite of Awakening is a story steeped in Gothic tension with Southern echoes—building toward the storm-soaked reckoning that defines the trilogy’s Southern Gothic roots.
Previously published as Celebrating the Tower Card and Midlife Illusions.
Genre
Magical Realism, Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Gothic-Tinged Spiritual Fiction, Personal Transformation
Tone
Emotionally raw, empowering, mystical, cathartic, spiritually transformative, grounded in resilience
Tropes
- Midlife reinvention
- Spiritual awakening
- Escaping a toxic relationship
- Found family
- Breaking from tradition
- Hidden strength revealed
Why You’ll Love It
Rite of Awakening offers a cathartic, spiritually charged journey for anyone who’s faced emotional manipulation, spiritual disillusionment, or midlife reckoning. It doesn’t promise easy healing—but it shows that intuition, truth, and choosing your path can still carry you through the fire.
Trigger / Sensitivity Warnings
- Emotional abuse
- Child trauma
- Spiritual manipulation
- Custody conflict
- Financial hardship
- Depression
- Brief mention of suicidal ideation
Note: All sensitive content supports the protagonist’s emotional growth and healing. Nothing is included for shock value.
About the Author
Lorna Tedder is a non-denominational minister, volunteer grief counselor, and full-time writer after a long career in public service. She writes fiction that crosses genres — from paranormal thrillers to romantic suspense to speculative women’s fiction — and non-fiction on spirituality, manifestation, grief, and personal growth. She lives in the Florida Panhandle with her family.