Producing a new book strangely resembles giving birth - so much so that when I leave a half-finished book untended, I dream about a baby crying to be picked up. Apparently, elephants are pregnant for up to 2 years. The gestation of this book is more than elephantine - it has been brewing since Trevor died in 2017.

It is a book which I never expected to write. Here’s the thing - when it comes to grief, you don’t think it will happen to you. At least I didn’t. At my wedding in 1991, I gave a speech (it’s always been hard to stop me talking). I made a quip about “Kate and Trevor together forever”. I remember at the time noticing some older people looking quizzical; I guess they knew that wasn’t guaranteed.

When Trevor died so suddenly, I read lots but didn’t find much that helped me. “A Grace Disguised” by Jerry Sitter was one of the few books that gave me hope, illuminating what Paul means by, “We do not grieve as those who have no hope”. That verse led to the creation of Ashes to Crowns, Grieving with Hope.

Ashes to Crowns is designed to be a biblical compass to hope for those who grieve. It owes a massive debt to all the loving prayers that surrounded me and to the skilled grief counsellors who advised me - especially Alison Bryan, Psychotherapist, and Revd Canon Yvonne Tulloch, CEO of AtaLoss, and Dr Jeff Stephenson, Hospice Consultant.

It’s not an account of my grief or anyone else’s though it contains wonderful input from others of how God has helped them grieve. When it comes to grief, each heart bears its unique story and I wanted to write something that reached wider than any one story. All of us need to know that only God truly understands our loss and that the one who notices when a sparrow falls is full of compassion for us.

I was so grateful to have Ashes to Crowns finished just as I finished my cancer treatment. The photo is me opening my first copy - the rest arrive next week! I’m especially excited that all the profits will go to charity to enable it to be given away in prisons and where it is needed. It would be a great help if you can share about it to others and you can either get it directly from me or if you need it posted, from St.Andrew’s bookshop online.

With my love,

Kate