Hello, and welcome to my corner of the internet.

My name is MJ Sloane, and I have a story to tell. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. Because keeping secrets for other people nearly killed me, and I refuse to die for someone else’s shame.

The Story Behind the Story

For twenty-nine years, I carried secrets that weren’t mine to carry. I was raised in what looked like the perfect Christian family—loving parents, ten children, active in church, pillars of the community. We were the family everyone admired, the one held up as an example of faith and dedication.

It was all a lie.

Behind the carefully constructed facade lived a monster. My adoptive father, the man I worshipped and called “Dad,” was a predator who had been systematically abusing children for decades. When a single phone call in 2001 shattered my world, I discovered that everything I thought I knew about my family, my faith, and myself was built on secrets and lies.

Why This Book Exists

“The Secret Keeper: A Memoir” isn’t just my story—it’s the story of countless survivors who have been silenced, gaslighted, and forced to carry shame that was never theirs to begin with. It’s about what happens when the stage lights finally go out on a performance that’s lasted a lifetime.

This book exists because:

• Over 60,000 children experience sexual abuse every year in the United States alone, and that number is catastrophically underreported
• Survivors deserve to see their experiences reflected honestly in literature, not sanitized or sensationalized
• The church’s response to abuse often creates more trauma through weaponized forgiveness and victim-blaming
• Families can be rebuilt on truth instead of lies, even when that truth is ugly and complicated

What You’ll Find in These Pages

This memoir doesn’t shy away from the brutal realities of abuse and its aftermath. You’ll read about:

• The devastating phone calls that revealed decades of hidden truth
• Sitting in a courtroom listening to charges that destroyed everything I thought I knew
• The choice between protecting a pedophile and protecting my children
• Learning to trust myself again after years of being told my reality wasn’t real
• The long, messy, non-linear journey of healing
• Building a family based on authenticity instead of performance

What you won’t find: Gratuitous details of abuse, a neat redemption story where everything gets tied up with a bow, or suggestions that trauma makes us stronger. Some damage can’t be undone. Some relationships can’t be repaired. And that’s okay.

A Message to Fellow Survivors

If you’re reading this as a survivor, I want you to know: This book was written for you. Every difficult detail I chose to include serves a purpose—to illuminate the tactics abusers use, to validate experiences that have been dismissed or minimized, or to show that paths to healing exist, even when they’re hard to see.

I know how isolating it feels to carry these secrets. I know the weight of wondering if anyone would believe you. I know what it’s like to be told that your pain matters less than someone else’s reputation.

You are not alone. Your story matters. Your healing matters.

Beyond the Book

This website will serve as a place for ongoing conversations about:

• Healing from religious trauma
• Breaking generational cycles of abuse
• Supporting other survivors
• Resources for those ready to begin their own journey

I’ll be sharing updates, reflections, and hopefully connecting with others who understand this path we’re walking.

Ready to Begin?

“The Secret Keeper” is available now on Amazon. I wrote it because I believe survivors deserve to know they’re not alone, that healing is possible, and that some bridges are meant to be burned.

The secret keeping ends when we decide it ends.

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If you’re currently experiencing abuse, please reach out for help. The National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-HOPE) provides confidential support 24/7. You are worth the investment in your own healing.

Purchase “The Secret Keeper” on Amazon → [Link to your book]

Connect with me: [Email/Social media links]

With courage and hope,
MJ