Introducing: Under the Laurel Tree

At long last, my newest book has made its way into the world! Find it here.

A handful of years ago, my husband and I sat in a doctor’s office and were given some news that has forever changed us. Infertility is one of those things you think you understand until it enters your life and you realize what a gaping grief it really is.

I immediately tried to find a book that would help me face this grief, but I couldn’t. In many ways, infertility is still a taboo topic in Church and society.

I didn’t want to hear about infertility as an abstract medical phenomenon. I didn’t want to hear about adoption or the ethical concerns related to assisted reproductive procedures.

I wanted to learn how to grieve–how to integrate this vicious sense of loss into my faith in a God who is supposedly life-giving.

Eventually, I was given the opportunity to write the book I had never found. It wasn’t easy to write, and I resisted it for several years, but now that it’s finished, I know writing it has changed me for the better.

This is the book I wish I could have read. It’s the book my husband wishes he could have read.

Maybe it’s the book you’ve been waiting for, too.

#UndertheLaurelTree features a foreword by Dr. Al Rossi, discussion and reflection questions for couples, and bonus resources for loved ones and clergy members. It’s available as a hardcopy, ebook, and (any day now!) audio.

Who this book is for

• Couples (including men) who are dealing with or have dealt with infertility, including secondary infertility, multiple miscarriages, etc.
• Singles who, along with desiring a partner, also grieve the absence of children in their lives
• Friends, loved ones, clergy members, and others who wish to better support couples with infertility they know
• Physicians and mental health professionals looking for resources to recommend to Christian patients/clients dealing with infertility, and
• Anyone who wants to read a book about how to grieve well when life doesn’t go as planned, particularly in a marriage.

How you can help

As you can imagine, this was not an easy book to write and I’m putting my trust in readers and listeners to help get it out in the world–infertility is still in many ways a taboo topic. You can help by:

• Following my page on Facebook and sharing posts related to this book with your networks
• Reading the book even if you do not struggle with infertility–it is also intended for others in the Church so that we can be more supportive of folks in this predicament
• Recommending the book to your priest or deacon–there are special resources and insights for clergy in the book
• Requesting your parish carry the book in its library or book store. As one clergy member recently put it, “This is a book every parish should have a copy of.”
• Asking your local library to place an order for this book (the Library of Congress control number is 2019950189)
• Following me on Goodreads and adding the book to your “want to read” category
• Rating and reviewing the book on Amazon.com if you do happen to read it–this helps more people find the book

Remember that anyone who comments on blog posts here this week will be entered to win a free copy of the book! Why are you glad this book is in the world? Let me know below…