What:
I have been journaling, typing up stories, writing poems, etc. for as long as I can remember. My grandpa was a writer, and he had two typewriters in his basement–one that was his everyday workhorse and one that he let me use whenever I wanted. It was there that I learned it was okay to make mistakes. As he said, White Out exists for a reason. Mistakes happen to all of us.
All along, I have very much wanted to earn the title of author and have an entire book published. I’m very excited to say that goal has become a reality. My first book, Good Mourning: Finding Hope and Healing After Losing a Loved One will be released November 12th. It is one part memoir of my own many close encounters with loss. My father died when I was a young girl, which really impacted my adolescence. I was raised by my mother, who was navigating not only her own grief journey but severe mental health challenges. My maternal grandparents and paternal grandma were huge fixtures in my life and helped me, and my mom, so much. They all passed away when I was between the ages of 17-22. Then, in my late 20s, a drunk driver struck and killed one of my childhood best friends. And just when I had reached a better understanding of my mother, her difficulties, her quirks, and her illnesses, I watched her battle colon cancer, only to lose her when I was 32.
The other part of the book is sharing what I have learned from these losses, and providing tools are practical resources for the reader as they fight through their own battle with grief. Each narrative chapter opens with a related original poem, and closes with a Pause and Reflect question, which encourages the reader to personally process each chapter’s topic.
Why:
For me, the “why” of writing is multifaceted. It helps me make sense of the world, my emotions, my joys and my frustrations. It helps me process my thoughts and refine them. It helps me stay grounded and grateful. It’s therapeutic. And I’ve found that sharing my writing can help others feel less alone. Sometimes (or maybe more than sometimes) just knowing you’re not the only one who has gone through a certain situation or had a certain thought can make you feel so comforted. So, it’s a win-win. Writing is so helpful to me, but my greatest hope with this book is that others will find it helpful too.
How:
Parts of this book were started anywhere from 5-10 years ago, but I really started in earnest about two years ago. The publishing company I worked with gave me a framework that helped keep me accountable. I need deadlines! Without going into too much detail, the last two years were quite possibly the busiest years of my life. I really had to push myself and use every scrap of time I could find to write this book. Another writer once gave me the advice that sometimes, especially when you’re raising a family, you have to “write while the pasta is boiling.” Sometimes I did that, quite literally. Sometimes I wrote on my phone while waiting in line at the grocery store, or for fifteen minutes on my lunch break (fun fact: I also work as an elementary reading teacher!), or late at night while everyone else was sleeping. Sure, I would try to set aside larger chunks of time, but it just wasn’t always possible. It did what I could, when I could. It was a labor of love and I’m so thankful it will now be in the hands of readers.
Good Mourning is a compassionate guide through grief, blending memoir, poetry, and healing tools. It encourages readers to acknowledge their pain, navigate the stages of loss, and find hope, reminding them that healing and new possibilities are still ahead.
Bio:
Christina Herr is an author, educator, and entrepreneur who writes to make sense of life, loss, and hope and to help her readers do the same. Her debut book, Good Mourning: Finding Hope and Healing After Losing a Loved One is being released November 2024. Her writing has been shared by many online outlets including The Huffington Post, Today Parents, and Love What Matters. She lives in Michigan with her husband Chris and their three children.
Links:
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Thank you for visiting.
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist
Books: In the Context of Love | Gordy and the Ghost Crab | Sleepwalker
New novel, Love and Other Incurable Ailments, coming fall 2026 from Regal House Publishing
Connect with Linda on social media: LinkTree