My Book
From TEDx speaker, writer, and involuntary widow, Kelley Lynn, comes the real life story of love, loss, and what happens when your husband leaves for work one ordinary Wednesday and never comes home.In "My Husband Is Not a Rainbow," Lynn gives you a front row seat into the grief tsunami (please don't call it a 'journey') that busted through her young and happy marriage, shattering her world to pieces, and stealing the only life she knew.
This brutally raw and often hilarious peek into one woman's brave struggle in the aftermath of her husband's death, and the beautiful love between them that started it all, will have you laughing, crying, and re-thinking everything you thought you knew about life, love, grief, and loss. Written in real time and told through poetry, journal entries, Facebook posts, grief-counseling session snippets, and letters to her dead husband, "Rainbow" will have you falling in love with love, while simultaneously feeling validated in your own personal grief tsunami.
"My Husband Is Not a Rainbow" is for anyone who has ever felt lost, hopeless, and alone in times of grief. It is for anyone who has ever loved someone, and then had to figure out what life looked like without them here on earth. It is for anyone who has taken pain and turned it into purpose, and anyone courageous enough to keep on living, even while having the knowledge that people will keep on dying.
Purchase directly from Kelley Lynn (signed version):
You can purchase the book for $25 (shipping included, US only) using my Paypal email kelleylynn926@yahoo.com or by Venmo: @kelleylynnme. Be sure to tell me the full name of who to ship it to, and the mailing address, in the comment section on PayPal and Venmo. I can also personalize/sign books to you, or to someone you would like to gift a book forward to! You can even gift a book forward in memory of someone you love!
What people are saying about the book…
“I’ve had a lot of loss, going back decades, and halfway through this book - I knew that I had made progress in understanding this awful ongoing sadness. This incredible book is not just for the widowed. It is for anyone who is grieving, and it should be required reading for all grief counselors.”
“This is the ‘North Star’ for all widowed folks in the universe. Whether you lost your spouse yesterday or 20 years ago, this book is relevant. In reading it, I discovered inspiration and hope that we can have both worlds; we can hold the precious memories of our beloved departed closely, AND we can begin again. There are many books out there about the loss of a spouse. This is the one to read. ”
Purchase from Amazon:
“I’m a widow also, and with all the time I’ve spent reading, writing, and talking about my grief over the last four years; you’d think I’d be all out of epiphanies, but no. This book has been like a therapy I’ve never experienced. It’s brought up issues I had repressed, and forced me to look at my own grief in a new light. It has healed parts of me that were previously unreachable and it has done so amidst laughter.”
“I couldnt put it down. I blew off work for 2 days straight so that I could finish this book. I lost my little brother to sudden death, and there was so much in this book that resonated with me. In the end, what stands out is that as deep as grief is, the love behind it is worth all of the pain.” ”
“It should be required reading for all therapists that will ever do grief-counseling work. I found myself nodding, laughing, crying, agreeing, and thinking ‘YES! YES! YES!’ many, many times. ”
More of What People Are Saying…
“Through this book, Ms. Shepherd makes the important societal contribution of unraveling, and ultimately disarming, the toxic and unhealthy "you have to move on" grief message. Laced also with side-splitting humor, this book is not only for those who have experienced the death of a life partner but also a crucial read for those supporting someone going through the death of a life partner.”
— Sarah J. Chamberlin
“Passionate and poignant- At the same time hilarious and devastating, Ms. Shepherd writes with a raw intensity that gives you a glimpse into her world of losing a loved one that will have you reliving bits of every experience of loss you’ve ever had and then somehow she brings you back out the other side a better person for having experienced loss through her lens. A must-read for anyone questioning loss, or wanting to better understand loss; those currently grieving, and those who have grieved. Spectacular.”
— Mollie Kavanagh
“Brilliant, heartfelt and an emotional tsunami for the reader (let alone for Kelley Lynn Shepherd, herself). My Husband is Not a Rainbow was filled with beautiful and touching moments, little reminders for us - as human beings - to cherish the laughter and the moments about us and written with poignant wit and verve.
Bonus points for beautiful cover and rainbow art by the talented Kevenn T. Smith.”
— Praetor1983
“I just carried around this giant book on NYC subways and buses for days, simply because I could not put it down. That was me, the grown woman openly sobbing and laughing on public transit.
Kelley said one of her intentions with this book was to touch people and perhaps shift their thinking about loss and grief. I am certain she has succeeded in this and will continue to do so over and over. Due in large part to her story I make a point of letting the man that I love know how very much I do love him every single day. We have a strict rule of never leaving the house without a kiss and saying I love you. Appreciate and love in the moment. That is my take away from this story.”
— Amy Eisenstadt
“THIS is real grief. The reality of stupid things people say to you after a death. The reality of what it feels like to drag yourself through daily living. The reality of finances, loss of income and ridiculously difficult “death tasks” like changing accounts, moving, and dealing with their stuff. The memories that make you want to pull your heart out and stomp on it, the triggers that send you into that downward spiral…the nightmares, the dreams, and the signs. The signs! In her case the LITERAL SIGNS!! Is it possible our lost loves are really out there somewhere communicating with us??? This is one book you don’t want to miss out on, folks. Kelley Lynn, thank you for sharing your heart, and contributing to the healing of so many, many people out here.”
— Stephanie T.
“Who knew that a book about death could make me laugh AND cry? This epic love story had me audibly laughing... And then in tears... And then laughing again. Shepherd's perceptive reflection on how her relationship with her husband developed, his sudden and unanticipated death, and the subsequent "grief tsunami" that followed is riveting, moving and entertaining reading. This is an important book for anyone who has lost (or knows someone who has suffered the loss of) a person close to them, but it is also a perfect read for anyone who wishes to be inspired by the incredible power of love. You will never see a rainbow in the same way again! Love grows love..”
— Dawn George
“Perfect. Beautiful. Profound. Brilliant. Honest. Heartbreaking. Hilarious. Inspiring. As another reviewer, Michelle, said, I also thought after 34 years of being a widow that I'd had all the epiphanies to be had. Yet there I was, time and time again, coming to a line or sentence or paragraph that jolted me and then froze me to where I'd have to stop reading and process whatever feeling or memory was now coming up finally ready to be looked at, shifted and healed. I can't speak for the world, Kelley Lynn, but I can tell you that you've changed mine. Thank you!”
— Laurie M.
“I love how this book is formatted. Real-life moments plucked from time have been gathered and preserved in this beautiful story about life, love, death, grief, and how a spouse survives a loss. I sobbed and laughed out loud sometimes within a page of each other. An incredible read. I loved the *-Me* quotes. I highly recommend this book. It's worth every cent.”
— Sheila Burke, Author and Founder of 'Being Better Humans'
“I was so lucky to attend your book signing event in Groton. Your book changed my life and was the beginning of my ability to heal after the sudden death of my darlin’ husband 5 years ago. Your words are reflective of my inner self and helped me finally realize that I wasn’t crazy. I was broken and you saved me. Thank you.”