It's a Book! (Well, More Like a Book Baby, But It's Getting There)

It's official- things are getting serious here in BookLand. I'm having grown-uppy meetings with literary types and getting submissions from some very fancy people. You know, the kind with publicists, managers, agents and of course, stylists. Yes, that kind. The kind that sell books.

The hope is that all this important-feeling activity will lead to getting published and beginning the real work- finishing and marketing the book!

The fact that you're reading this means one of two things- you're either my friend or have suffered a loss. Maybe both. Either way, I welcome you. I may approach death with more humor than most, but I assure you it's not something I take lightly. When I was grieving the deaths of my parents (still am, really), I found laughter to be essential. That's one of the reasons I started this project. It's not only okay to laugh at some of the unavoidable gaffes committed by well-meaning friends, it'll keep you sane. The other reason was the total absence of books like this. Believe me, I looked. Hard. There were religious resources, guides for widows, even one about pet loss, but nothing like The Dos and Don'ts of Grief (The Good, the Bad, and the Incredibly Stupid Things People Do When Someone Dies).

The books on death and mourning I did buy were impossible for me to absorb at the time. This was mostly due to my state of mind. I just couldn't concentrate. I couldn't follow a movie plot or get past the first paragraph of anything in the newspaper. Hell, I couldn't even get through a recipe. That's why The Dos and Don'ts is presented in blurb form. Easily digestable quotes and sidebars. Perfect for the those suffering from grief-induced ADD. A place to find what worked for others, ways to pay tribute, what never to say, and, yes, the incredibly stupid mistakes made by those were only trying to help.

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to send in your own experiences. Have you lost someone close to you? Do you have something you do for those who have had a death in their family? Did you say or do something at a funeral that still makes you cringe? I want to hear about it. ALL about it.

-Alicia