Description
Publisher: Robbie Dean Press, LLC
ISBN: 978-1-889743-00-4
No. of Pages: 117
Index: No
Table of Contents: Yes
Binding: Softcover
Last Update: 2026
Volume Discount: Yes, call to inquire
Shipping Time: 2-5 Days
A WIDOW’S FIRST YEAR is a compassionate companion for women navigating one of life’s most difficult journeys—the first year after the loss of a husband. Written from personal experience and enriched with honest journal entries recorded in real time, this book offers readers an authentic look at grief as it unfolds, along with practical guidance for finding hope and healing.
Reviewers have praised the book for reading as though it were written by a grief specialist. Rather than offering distant advice, the author invites readers into her own experience, sharing the emotions, questions, and challenges she faced during her first year of widowhood. This deeply personal approach helps readers feel understood and less alone.
Throughout every diary entry and reflection, the author demonstrates the value of acknowledging grief while remaining grounded in the realities of daily life. Her message is one of honesty, resilience, and hope: healing does not mean forgetting—it means learning to move forward while honoring the love that remains.
The author has written various textbooks. She is a retired English professor and owner of two publishing companies. One is Robbie Dean Press, a textbook publishing company and parent company of MarketingNewAuthors.com, a self-publishing company. She began as a publisher in 1991. She began her teaching career in 1973. Both she has loved and has won awards for her teaching acuity.
[This book] gives a very honest, practical, and emotionally vulnerable look into grief and dealing with the passing of a spouse. The advice you give on the funeral aspect of loss is outstanding, and something I think will be very helpful to new widows because you touch on topics that often go overlooked or are unknown to those who have not been through something like this before. You don’t shy away from uncomfortable topics like when to stop wearing your wedding ring and finances. You demonstrate very well how important it is for a widow to be able to stay rooted in reality amongst her grief. It truly is an amazing guide to widows on how to move through their grief with practicality, grace, and compassion, told through your own personal journey.
—Kristina Carlson
Funeral Arranger
Muehlig Funeral Chapel
Hosmer-Muehlig Funeral Chapel
A Widow’s First Year: Her Thoughts with her God, Guardian Angel, and You is a generous invitation to witness a faith journey of self discovery through the grieving process, while navigating the busyness of decision-making after the loss of a love. This is amazing, written as if you were a grief specialist! Because of your journal entries, you were able to return to moments and situations and the feelings that accompanied them in real time. Traveling a road of sorrow, Hayes-Scott finds herself filled with hope and gratitude for her life experiences, the friends she has found along the way, the family that loves her, the gift of the love of her life in husband Bob, and her faith in a God through whom she has found strength and resilence. The author is able to tap into the heart and spirit of ideas/feelings that professionals might miss, even with all their research and knowledge. Notes appear along and careful timeline guiding “You” through funeral planning, legal considerations, and other hints to make your walk along this journey more manageable.
—Reverend C. Diane Smith
Fairy, your introduction is nothing short of a gift—thoughtful, compassionate, and deeply practical. You have managed to speak to the heart of widowhood while also guiding women through the often-overwhelming (Yes, I know!) realities that follow such a profound loss. From encouraging the careful review of wills and accounts to gently addressing the emotional terrain of grief, you offer both clarity and comfort. Your words give permission—to grieve in one’s own way, to care for one’s mental health without guilt, and to navigate each day with grace rather than pressure. This work will undoubtedly serve as a steady hand for many women in their first year of loss, reminding them that they are not alone and that healing, in its own time and form, is possible.
—Nora Martin, Ph.D.
Retired Professor
Author of A Widow’s Sharing & Guide: Forever With Me
