My latest guide, 10 Uncomfortable Truths about Dating a Widower is now available to those who join my mailing list. To access it, fill out the form below and subscribe to my (usually) monthly newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.
New Book Coming Soon
Feel good to write these words again. More details coming soon. (Book co-written with Julianna Keogh.)
What kind of books to kids like to read?
Cleaned up the kids’ bookshelves today, deciding what books to keep/not keep. Most interesting was the fact that the older kids (16, 15, 14, and 12) more or less universally agreed what books to keep for our younger kids (10, 8, and 5).
About one-third of the books on the shelves were deemed “boring” or “preachy” and therefore are headed to a new home. Kept the ones that were “exciting” or “fun to read” for the younger ones to enjoy. This is from four different kids with four different sets of interests, opinions, and tastes and yet they could all agree on what made a good young adult, middle grade, or young reader books.
Moral of the story: If you want kids to read, give them stories that excite their imaginations and sense of wonder and draw them in quickly. Avoid the preachy nonsense because they can smell it a mile away and won’t bother finishing it. (And if you force them to read it as part of an English class, not only will you kill their love of reading, they will tear the book and teacher to pieces as they put it in never-read-again pile.)
(Photo is of pile books headed to a new home.)
Coming January 29: Dating a Widower, Second Edition
Dating a widower comes with unique challenges that you won’t encounter when dating a single or divorced man. For the relationship to work, the widower will have to put his feelings for his late wife to the side and focus on you. But how do you know if he’s ready to take this step?
Drawing on his own experience as a remarried widower, Abel Keogh provides unique insight and guidance into the hearts and minds of widowers, including:
Why widowers date so soon after their late wife dies
How to know if the widower is ready to make room in his heart for you
Red flags that indicate widowers aren’t ready for commitment
How to set and maintain healthy relationship boundaries with widowers
Dating a Widower is your guide to having a successful relationship with a man who’s starting over. It also contains 22 real-life stories from women who have gone down the same road you’re traveling. It’s the perfect book to help you decide if the man you’re seeing is ready for a new relationship—and whether dating a widower is right for you.
An Update on My Next Novel
For those who have been asking about my next novel here's an update: The above image shows the chapter, page, and word count of a novel I sent off to my editor on Wednesday. Last night I commissioned a very talented individual to work on the cover. If all goes according to plan, this means I should have a finalized cover in the next 30 days and a finalized book ready for market in July or August.
Stay tuned for updates.
Book and Life Updates April 2017
It’s been a long time since I’ve posted updates on books, life, or anything else so I thought I’d do a short update on things then share some news about an old book.
Those wondering when my next book will come out, all I can say is soon. Very soon. I’m towards the end of my second rewrite. It’s been a slow process mostly because my free time is limited. I work on the book every day from 4:30-6:30 a.m. At that point the kids are up and life takes over. There are little kids to feed and big kids to get off to school. Then it's off to my job. Once I’m home at night there are sports practices for some kids, church activities for others, homework to do, and dinner to prepare and eat, and then it’s time to get the younger kids ready for bed. By the time everyone's in bed for the night, I’m too physically and mentally exhausted to write.
Don’t misunderstand. I’m not complaining. I have a nearly-perfect marriage, seven wonderful kids, a day job that I love, and a home to keeps everyone warm, dry, and happy. Having lost everything that mattered many, many years ago, I wouldn’t trade any of that for more writing time because books are books and families are forever.
But the books will keep coming. I promise you. They won’t stop because for some reason I can’t stop writing the stories that filter through my head. In the meantime, here’s some news about my first book.
The nice thing about owning the rights to your own book is that you can do whatever you want with them. It’s been 10 years since my first book and memoir Room for Two was published. To celebrate, I’ll be posted the entire book in my blog. Starting Monday, I’ll post Chapter One and will continue to post a chapter for the next 16 weeks until the entire book is up.
So if you haven’t read Room for Two before, now’s your chance to try it out. If you have, then you can enjoy the journey again, one chapter at a time.
Book Reviewers Wanted
As some of you may know, I'm coming out with a new book soon and possible a second one later in the year. The first book is along the sci-fi/fantasy genre and the second is a mystery/thriller.
If you like to read one or both of these genres or future self-help books, I’m looking for a few honest book reviewers. If you’re interested in reviewing future books of mine, fill out the form here. I’ll be in touch soon.
Thanks in advance.
Room for Two FREE on Kindle
My first book, Room for Two, is free on Kindle starting today. It will be available as a free download through Friday, September 26.
It's also available for free in the Amazon stores for Canada, UK, Australia, Japan, France, Brazil, India, Spain, Italy, Mexico, and Germany.
If you don't have a Kindle you can download Kindle app for your phone, tablet, or computer for free.
Read the first three chapters of Room for Two here.
About Room for Two
"Sweetie, I'm home." I tried to put as much kindness into my voice as possible. I didn't want to have another argument - at least not right away.
Silence.
"Sweetheart?"
A gunshot echoed from our bedroom, followed by the sound of a bullet casing skipping along a wall.
Everything slowed down.
***
When a life is destroyed, when guilt says you played a role in its destruction, how do you face the days ahead?
Twenty-six-year-old Abel Keogh chooses to ignore the promptings he receives concerning his wife's mental illness, and now he feels he is to blame for her choices. If only he had listened . . .
At some point in our lives, each of us face devastating afflictions and must eventually cope with loss. Regardless of how it happens, the outcome is still the same - we are left isolated, alone, wondering what we could have done differently, and where we can turn for peace.
This is Abel's story in his own words. His search for peace and the miracle that follows is proof that love and hope can endure, despite the struggles and tragedies that shape each of our lives.
Now Available: The Ultimate Dating Guide for Widowers
The Ultimate Dating Guide for Widowers is finally here! You can now download it for Kindle
About The Ultimate Guide for Widowers
Men and women grieve differently. Though both feel the pain and sorrow that come with losing a spouse, widowers start dating much sooner than widows—usually within the first year of their wife's passing. While there's nothing wrong with dating again that quickly, widowers often get into relationships before they're emotionally ready to take that step. That causes problems for them and the women they're with.
That's where The Ultimate Dating Guide for Widowers comes in. Drawing on the success stories and learning experiences of Joe Biden, Thomas Edison, Peirce Brosnan, and Paul McCartney, this book specifically addresses questions, concerns, and needs of widowers, including:>/p>
- How to know if you're really ready to date again
- Overcoming feelings of guilt about starting another relationship
- Balancing your dating life with the needs and wants of your children
- How to make room in your heart for someone else
The Ultimate Dating Guide for Widowers is the definitive guide for widowers who are looking to sort out their conflicting emotions and avoid common pitfalls that come with dating the second time around. It's a must read for any man who's looking to ease the transition from an old life to a new one.
Kindle
Enjoy the book,
Abel
Book Update 2
Traveling for business this week so there's no Widower Wednesday column today. Instead I thought I'd give you all a quick book update:
- Second round of edits are back. Hoping to have time tonight to go through a good chunk of them.
- Second round of the covers are in as well. Things are defiantly going in the right direction.
- Once edits are finalized, everything will start being prepared for layout. Looks like were (hopefully) two weeks away from having this book ready
Finally, here's a pic from dinner last night. Yes, the place has great bulbs. As a result, you can probably smell me a mile away. :)
