Book reviews are akin to manna for authors and readers alike. They help readers determine whether a title is worth their time and attention. For authors, they drive visibility and sales. Yet reviews can be elusive, especially for independent authors. This week’s giveaway looks to change that
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As we continue celebrating the one-year anniversary of When Losses Become Legacies, this week’s giveaway challenges you to name the person in the picture below, and how he’s related to the Legacies book. Enter by Sunday, May 21, through the comments on this post, or on my
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Welcome to three weeks of book giveaways! This week’s contest will honor our moms. Between now and Mother’s Day—Sunday, May 14—submit one sentence that captures your mom. Whether she’s here or on the other side of time, we want to hear about her distinctive qualities. Comment directly
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My latest book, When Losses Become Legacies: Memoirs on Grief, God, and Glory, is turning one. To celebrate, my co-author, Christy, and I are hosting a print-book giveaway for each of the three weeks starting next Monday, May 8. All of the contests will be open for
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Last summer I lost my dad to heart disease. He was almost 83, and in declining health. He died twice. The first time, he was rescued by a band of courageous Good Samaritans. Their bravery afforded my family and me a chance to say goodbye, and to
Read more →I’ve known the month of September to be a wily foe. Perhaps her cunning is a mere protesting of the confusion that comes with bearing two seasons at once. Still, I haven’t liked her much. It was during her days that I lost my mom to breast cancer 26
Read more →It’s late June, a golden-blue day wrapped in soft, honeyed rustles hinting at untold promises and glories of the summer at hand. My small children are gliding into a friend’s home, their goodbye kisses and laughter floating through tousles of hair. The sparkles fade to dust, swallowed
Read more →My mom died of breast cancer when I was 15. At first, I missed the short-term comforts she brought. No more Chinese-takeout dinners on Friday. No more special trips to Canada or Florida. Soon I missed the lack of love and attention. I grew to believe there
Read more →Life’s most tragic stories aren’t without beauty. That’s true of postpartum depression, suicide, and all forms of heartache and loss. Redemption lurks in the mire. I started this blog because of my battle with postpartum depression, when I was 34. At 15 I lost my mom to
Read more →It’s Mother’s Day, and while I celebrate my own motherhood, I also think about my mom, who died almost 22 years ago. On the late-summer day when she gave up her brief-but-valiant battle against breast cancer, I prayed the crystalline skies would swallow my shock, that my
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