Laura Mason Lockard says she had “what some people would call a near-death experience” when she was a girl in Allegheny Township.
In 1981, when she was 11, she was abducted and assaulted by a man police thought could have been a serial killer.
Lockard, now 54 and living in Shaler, is telling her story in two books: “See the Light,” which came out in 2019, and “Finding the Light,” which came out a couple of months ago.
“My main motivation in writing it was to help other people … and how trauma can be transcended and overcome,” Lockard said.
“See the Light” tells the story of Lockard’s childhood tragedy and her road to recovery.
“Finding the Light” picks up the story with Lockard struggling with social stigma and PTSD, and developing trust and a friendship with the late Detective Rich D’Ambrosio, the investigator in the case who would later become Allegheny Township’s police chief.
At one point, investigators considered a link between Lockard’s abuser and the disappearance of Cherrie Mahan in Winfield Township in 1985, but that was debunked, Lockard said. Cherrie’s case has never been solved.
The books are a fictionalized memoir series, Lockard said. She said that during one of her talks with D’Ambrosio, she mentioned that her story could be a novel.
At that time, she started writing what was happening in her life. Doing so helped her remember details that she otherwise wouldn’t have recalled when she picked up writing again in 2019.
Writing the books also are a liberating experience for Lockard. She hopes telling her story can help abuse and trauma survivors.
The books are Lockard’s first foray into writing, but she plans to continue writing more books in the future.
“It’s been a learning curve, but a very fun learning curve,” she said.
People can buy hard copies of Lockard’s book at The Last Word bookstore along Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell or on Amazon.
“I liked it,” said Karen Watkins, owner of The Last Word. “I have had customers who I recommended (‘See the Light’) to, and they came back and asked when (‘Finding the Light’) was coming out.”
