Kerry Blair's Blog, page 2

This is Not a Blog -- Or at Least it is Not the Blog You Hoped it Would Be

In our continuing quest to uphold good blog etiquette, let me first thank everyone who has sent e-mails or called to tell me that Friday arrived more than sixteen hours ago. I appreciate the head's up. As my closest friends know, little things like, say, the date on the calendar, the day of the week, and/or the correct spelling of my own name often elude me these days. But in my defense, I did know it's Friday. So . . . how is everybody? Any fun plans for the weekend? Nice weather we're havin...

My Fair(no Y) Godmother

There's one thing I've wondered my whole life. It's not the meaning of existence or why bad things happen to good people. I've wondered why Cinderella was able to leave behind a glass slipper. Does that make sense to you? Ella's ball gown turned back into rags, her carriage once again became a pumpkin, and her horses shrank back into vermin—albeit mice pleased to find themselves in more upscale digs. Why then, when the clock struck midnight, didn't her glass slippers disappear with the tiara ...

Twelve Days of Christmas -- In Prizes!

Since it's Christmas (and I haven't given anything away here for practically forever) I jumped at the chance to participate in a brilliant contest put together by Whitney-nominated historical romance author, Joyce DiPastina. Read on for details.

During the Middle Ages, the Twelve Days of Christmas did not refer to the twelve days preceding Christmas day as it does now. Rather, it began on Christmas Day and continued through the following twelve days, ending on January 5, the eve of Epiphany w...

Why I'm Not Afraid of Coyotes

I was asked recently to speak on personal and family preparedness. "Good deal!" I thought. After all, I've been prepared for the worst practically my whole life.

"And what is the worst?" you ask.

Coyotes!

When I was a little girl, growing up in the sparsely-populated Verde Valley, our closest neighbors were a pack of coyotes. They passed our house nightly on their way from their bedrooms on the bluff to their dining room down by the river. I sometimes saw them. I always heard them. I became abso...

Commiseration, Please

Like many families in America, my husband's extended clan embarked this week on a "Biggest Loser" competition. Ours, semi-affectionately dubbed "The Great Lard Off," began Sunday at midnight. I threw myself into the fray with delight, dedication and optimism. I could do it this time! I would do it! The first two days were a breeze. I exercised like Michael Phelps. (Except that I drank gallons of water rather than immersing myself in it.) I ate like Mary-Kate Olsen. I even picked up a few "goo...

Let Us All Press On Scattering Sunshine

Fan mail makes me cry.

For years, the tears have been of gratitude and disbelief. Somebody liked one of my books? Really? It has always been easier for me to endure bad reviews than it has been to believe the good ones. It's no surprise, then, that I've kept every positive stroke I've ever received. Since the release of Counting Blessings, my mail has increased ten-fold and the tears have increased many times that. But now I mostly weep because so many of the letters break my heart.

In the...

Caught in the Headlights

Unlike many readers and reviewers, I wasn't drawn to this book by the forward by Glenn Beck or the enthusiastic back-cover endorsements of a Utah author, legislator, and/or radio personality. In the first place, I am not as politically conservative as most people think I am—too much NPR, I fear—and I live in the wrong state to know much of anything about Barry Phillip's other notable fans. I read the book because of the backliner:

We've all had those "deer in the headlights" moments when we...

So Many Books -- Hopefully Enough Time

I'm so glad I'm alive! I thought I was the most well-read person I knew, but it turns out there are dozens of books I need to read here before moving on to the vast libraries in the post-here. (Sometimes referred to as the hereafter.) My blog today on Six LDS Writers and a Frog is a very long report on what I learned from my small and very informal survey. Since you can read it all there, I won't repeat it here.

I will, however, post my list, but only because I practically promised. A few week...

Room for Two

To quote author Abel Keogh: At some point we're all going to face a devastating affliction and cope with loss. How we choose to react to the bad things that happen in our lives defines who we are. We can either learn from our experiences and become a better person, or dwell in bitterness and sorrow. I choose to make the best out of a bad situation.

This is the thesis of Room for Two, an autobiographical book by a man who faced the unimaginable—the violent suicide of his young, pregnant wife—and then turned his grief and guilt into a triumphant growth experience for himself, and a pattern for courage, faith-filled resolve, and ultimate forgiveness for his readers.

From the first chapter:

"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.

From the backliner:

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.

From the "reviewer" (me):

I read Room for Two at the recommendation of Candace Salima, author of Refiner's Fire, and a woman I deeply admire as a writer and a person. I opened the book while seated on a hard cement bench, squinting into the hot afternoon sun while my two little nieces played nearby in a park. Three hours later, the sun was setting, my nieces were exhausted, the lower portion of my body was numb (I don't think I'd moved in all that time; I'm not sure I even breathed at first) and I was still reluctant to close the book.

I can't honestly say I loved everything about Room for Two—how the guy likes to be kissed is frankly a little too much information—but I can say unequivocally that Abel Kough is not only a solid writer, he is probably one of the most courageous and candid men on the planet. In the pages of this memoir of the worst (and, ironically, possibly the most promising) year of his life, he almost doggedly puts himself out there for the reader to judge if she will. I won't. If there are shortcomings in his character—or writing—I didn't see them. Rather, I admire Abel Keogh for being a man who is enough in touch with himself that he is unafraid to ask, and is sometimes able to answer, the hardest questions any of us could conceive.

In the final chapters, Keogh shares how he found a meaning-full poem written by his wife. This tender mercy allows him to at last make peace with a horror he can never fully understand in mortality. Then, with a new love at his side, he stands at the grave of his wife and infant daughter on the first anniversary of the suicide. He writes:

I felt that I should be crying or saying something profound. But my mind was blank, my eyes dry.

This, to me, was profound—and deeply touching. At the close of the third chapter I could not imagine how this young man would ever find hope, let alone peace, love, and eventual joy. Over the course of 200 or so pages I found out. Her name is Julianna and she is as remarkable as he is. The woman he calls "Marathon Girl" in his blog is perhaps the real hero of his book—and his heart.

Having written that, I wonder if I should post a spoiler alert. If I don't it is because to me Room for Two was not intended to be suspenseful. Rather it is a generous gift: a chronical of a journey few of us have taken, a remarkable and meaningful glimpse into the worst and best life can offer. I could not have read past the thirty-eighth page if I'd had any doubt it would end any way but as it did.

Obviously, this is not a breezy summer read, but it is a book that will grip you from the first page and stay with you long after you have closed the back cover. Published by Cedar Fort, it is available at Amazon and other national booksellers. You can learn more about the author, read the first chapter of the book, visit his blog, and find links to other reviews and interviews on his website: www.abelkeogh.com.

Room for Two
Trade Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Cedar Fort (August 2007)
ISBN-10: 1599550628
ISBN-13: 978-1599550626
Retail: $14.99