MSI Press Blog

  Today's book excerpt comes from Widow: How to Survive (and Thrive!) in Your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Years  by Joanna Romer. Year Two Carving Out a Place for Yourself Nothing in my previous experience prepared me for being a widow, not my 40 years of job experience, ranging from Cosmopolitan Magazine to St. John’s University; not my 25 years of marriage to my beloved husband, Jack; not even my five years of worrying about Jack as he slowly become fatally ill. The widow experience is, as I’m sure you’ll agree, unprecedented. We can’t sugarcoat being a widow. After a year of widowhood, you’ve probably figured that out. It’s hard, it’s a struggle, it’s not something that goes away like the flu. And, unless you get married again, you’re going to be a widow from now on. Yet, believe it or not, you can get used to it. I feel pretty good about my widow status now, although it’s taken me awhile the reach that plateau---4 ½ years. The first year was a killer, wasn’t it? The depression...

  Excerpt from Widow: A Survival Guide for the First Year --  CHAPTER ONE Being Alone When I was in my mid-20s, I worked at Cosmopolitan Magazine as an Assistant Editor. My tenure there was short (barely a year), but because my editor liked me I was able to secure freelance assignments in later years. Writing for Cosmo , I learned that almost any problem can be remedied with concentrated self-nurturing and a few well thought-out lists. And so, throughout the years, I was able to handle two divorces, three marriages, many job changes and the untimely deaths of both my parents (although this last occurrence required the help of a very nice therapist). When Jack, my beloved husband of 16 years, died at the age of 71, I was devastated. There were days in those first months when I really didn’t see what I had to live for. Other times, I believed that I too would soon leave this earth, and so I scampered around trying to get my affairs in order. If you are a recent widow, y...

  Today's story behind the book is about Widow: A Survival Guide for the First Year  by Joanna Romer. From the publisher The late Joanna Romer was one of our first authors, and ultimately she wrote ten books that we published. A professor of journalism, she approached us in our early days with a manuscript for widows and how they could cope with widowhood. It was a subject she knew well, having recently become a widow. With her journalistic instincts, she had tracked down other widows, determined the commonalities, and provide a guide that many have now found helpful during their first year. The book is full of these personal stories that provide the bigger picture for the "map" that Joanna lays out for new widows. How Joanna found us in those early days, I do not remember, and she is not around now to ask. The relationship, however, was symbiotic. She produced books that people wanted to read, and we even, at one point, commissioned her to write one we felt was needed. T...

Recently released - the audiobook edition of  Widow   by Joanna Romer. Book description: This book takes new widows on a journey from the first difficult days of widowhood through 12 months of self-discovery. Along the way, you will learn how to handle emotional challenges such as suddenly being alone; how to tackle painful tasks including cleaning out hubby's closet; and how to re-enter the world again in terms of work, personal development and socializing. Guidelines are provided for each new phase, making this book a practical self-help book you can use for re-creating your life. Widow was featured in the January 2013 Small Press Bookwatch as a "Reader's Choice" by Midwest Book Review. For more posts about Joanna and her books, click HERE . Paperback copies of this book can be purchased at the  MSI Press webstore   at 25% discount with coupon code FF25. Want to buy Ken's books and not have to pay for them? Ask your local library to purchase and shelve it. Sign ...