This Proud Grandma on New Book Dealing With Sibling Loss

I told myself that I wasn't going to write this.  My personal platform was not going to become an advertisement and I certainly don't want to be involved in - or accused of - conflict of interest.  ​But, I've changed my mind.  After all, if there is something that can help others, why not share?

​I've briefly mentioned Mandy's book in past articles.  Now, proud mother that I am, I'm going to tell you all about it.  Possibly, it's a book that would be helpful for your family.  "Stella's Story: Dealing With Sibling Loss" is intended for young children who have experienced the death of a brother or sister.  It tells of the sisters' relationship before Stella dies, touches on the accident, describes how life changes after Stella is gone and encourages discussion within the family.  At the end are tips for helping parents talk to their young children about their loss.

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Mandy wrote "Stella's Story" almost immediately after Kitty died.  She read it to Belle daily until Belle outgrew the story.  For two years, it lay atop a dresser in the bedroom - in plain sight - as a reminder of what it did to help get both Mandy and Belle through their grief, but not being useful to anyone else.  A few years ago, Mandy decided that she wanted to publish this book for other grieving families with surviving children.  Maybe her words could help other bereaved parents.

​She found a publisher who wanted an exorbitant amount of money, which none of us had, to hire an artist and to walk Mandy through the steps of publishing and printing.  Needless to say, that didn't happen.  Then, in the spring of 2017, money became available.  The art teacher at Mandy's school offered to do the illustrations - at a fraction of the $6,000 price tag quoted by publisher #1.  She and I scoured the internet for publishing companies located in the Twin Cities and found Wise Ink Creative Publishing, a small company on the outskirts of downtown Minneapolis.  The homepage of their website, in large black lettering states very simply, "Independent Authors.  Books That Matter".  This was the right place for us!  Indeed, we want "Stella's Story" to matter.  That was the whole point.

​From the time the drawings were finished in May, it took a little over six months to reach Mandy's goal:  the week before Christmas, she held in her hands a copy of her printed and bound story, Belle's story, Kitty's story, "Stella's Story".   What a gift!

​The book officially released on January 15 and is now available on Amazon.

Helpful Hint:  if you choose to order "Stella's Story: Dealing With Sibling Loss" from AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to a charitable organization.  When shopping, simply go to smile.amazon.com and select the organization you wish to help.  Choosing Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota or Ronald McDonald House Charities Upper Midwest supports the organizations that so lovingly cared for us.

​Shameful plug or not, I am very proud of my daughter for openly sharing the words she used when talking to Belle about Kitty's death.  I marvel at her desire is to help others rather than focusing inward.  It amazes me that she continues to find ways to move forward in her grief.  "Stella's Story" is the result of Mandy's openness, desire and progress and, yes, I am proud.