Losing Everything

In Losing Everything his first book of nonfiction acclaimed novelist David Lozell Martin tells his wildest most outlandish story yet—his own.. One evening in the mountainous forest of his isolated West Virginia farmhouse Martin became disoriented when searching for a horse who had wandered off the property. Wading through the dark and guiding his horse with a belt around its neck Martin felt as though every step was taking him deeper into the mountains. Instead he unknowingly spent the night walking in a wide circle that brought him back to where he started. This quickly became a metaphor for Martins life. The more lost I get the closer to home I come. After growing up with a violent father who nearly killed Martins clinically insane mother Martin pursued a writers life with a vengeance becoming vulnerable to struggles with alcohol financial ruin and legal feuds. Then after a betrayal by his soul mate Martins sanity was in as much jeopardy as his mothers had ever been -- a state of mind that in his case led to gunfire divorce and at least one trip to the emergency room. But Losing Everything is less about getting lost and more about finding your way home again. In his pursuit of stability Martin uncovered lessons that might help others who have encountered loss: take pleasure in something as small as an ampersand keep a list of people you know who have died meet your own death like a warrior and be glad you dont own a monkey. Deeply personal yet surprisingly universal Martins story is for anyone who has wandered astray. If not a road map his journey is a guide providing hard-earned wisdom to illuminate the path home.