WIDOW OFFERS HOPE THROUGH BOOK

POLICE WIDOW OFFERS HOPE THROUGH CANDID BOOK ABOUT GRIEF

Feb 1^st, 2012 – When Maryanne Pope’s husband, a police officer, fell to his death in Sept 2000, after stepping through an unmarked false ceiling (there was no safety railing in place) during the investigation of a suspected Break and Enter in progress, Maryanne was launched on a freefall of her own through grief.

Eight years later, in Sept 2008, Maryanne published her creative non-fiction book, A Widow’s Awakening, through her company, Pink Gazelle Productions. The print version has now sold 1500 copies. With the audio version now available, the author hopes to reach more people with her message about the immense difficulty of accepting the unacceptable.

“A Widow’s Awakening,” Pope admits, “is not an easy read, I realize that.”

Click here to hear a short audio clip (1 min 30 sec) from A Widow’s Awakening.

“You almost want to apologize,” wrote Michael Platt of the Calgary Sun newspaper, “reading Maryanne Pope’s account of her husband’s death. So vivid is her description, you feel like an intruder…a voyeuristic journey both heart wrenching and uncomfortable.”

“But by demonstrating the reality of my grief,” Pope explains, “the book is hitting a chord with readers who are coming to terms with their own loss – or supporting someone who is, whether that’s in a professional or personal capacity.”

“I could not put the book down,” wrote Brenda C, an A Widow’s Awakening reader. “Even when my eyes were swollen shut from crying, I continued to read. After 5 years, my grief is still pretty raw but it comes in waves and tides. I had 18 months of counselling and that did not come close to the comfort I got from your book.  I laughed and I cried and I felt connected. Your book gave me hope.”

“I have been reading your book and want to say thank you,” wrote Sherry S, another A Widow’s Awakening reader. “It’s so beautiful and so real. Like you, I lived it. The love of my life was killed at work in September 2000. He was 52. I miss him so much and it still hurts. Your book is a wonderful gift…somehow I don’t feel so alone.”

Brenda and Sherry are not alone. Grief is a fact of life. Although each person mourns the loss of a loved one differently, there are often striking similarities in our emotional and psychological responses. “I am a professional in the community with a counselling background,” wrote Paula J., “and my fellow colleagues spoke highly of your book. They stated that all professional bereavement counsellors should read A Widow’s Awakening because of the raw, honest description of grief you experienced.”

Losing a loved one can hurt beyond belief. “But by sharing our stories,” says Pope, “we realize that regardless of what we may be experiencing in our journey through grief, we are not alone…or crazy. Rather, we are just trying to make it through the day on our way to a happier, healthier future.”

For further information on A Widow’s Awakening or to purchase a print copy, please click here. Bulk rates are available.

Please click here to purchase the audio book.

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