Bride jilted at altar quits job and sells home to travel around the world
After being left standing at the altar, a jilted bride quit her job and swapped weddings for wanderlust.
Little did she know that backpacking around Thailand, India and Nepal on her own would lead to her achieving a childhood dream of becoming a published author.
Katy, from Formby, England, has secured a three-book deal with Carina UK, an imprint of world-renowned publisher Harper Collins.
“Everyone did think I was a little mad especially as I’d never travelled anywhere by myself before but it just felt right.
“I needed the time away from everything and everyone I knew to find myself, but it wasn’t as cheesy as that.”
“People who weren’t related to me started reading my blog and sending me emails, telling me how brave I was to quit it all and go.
“I received messages from other newly-single men and women who said they read my blog as an inspiration – that just because you’ve been dumped it doesn’t mean you have to listen to bad power anthems and devour ice-cream.
“You can use this as a catalyst for something much bigger and better.”
“I started writing a few chapters, not fully aware that they would be the start of a novel but mostly as a way to clear my head.
“Although I was experiencing things that I would never have imagined seeing, such as the Taj Mahal and trekking through the Himalayas, I was still working through the feelings that I wouldn’t be making wedding scrapbooks or be living the married life, well not just yet at least.
“I began to think what if you were given a second chance to find yourself?’”
“Ironically, an editor called me on what would have been our third wedding anniversary. “It is poignant to think how far I’d come through hard work, being brave and wanting to live the biggest life I could.”
“His decision, although devastating at the time, was the wake-up call I needed. I had a good job, a lovely house and lived a comfortable lifestyle but it lacked adventure.
“That is something I hoped travelling halfway around the world on my own would give me, and luckily it paid off.
“I have climbed an active volcano in Chile, slept in a Thai jungle, got covered in Holi powder in India, skydived in France, and even taken a flight past Mount Everest. “I’ve experienced things that I would never have dreamed possible but the highlight is being able to call myself a writer. Nothing compares to that.
“I am a huge optimist and believe that everything happens for a reason. Life is about saying yes, being brave and knowing deep down that it will all end up alright.”