Blog Archives
One Last Question Before You Go: Why You Should Interview Your Parents
Kyle Thiermann’s One Last Question Before You Go is part memoir, part field guide for emotional courage. It begins as a practical project, recording conversations with his parents before it’s too late, but evolves into a moving exploration of love, misunderstanding, and reconciliation. Thiermann opens his life with remarkable honesty, describing a childhood shaped by idealism, tension, and unconventional choices. His storytelling blurs the line between instruction and confession, reminding readers that asking questions can be both a form of preservation and an act of healing.
Thiermann’s writing balances clarity and lyricism. He recounts moments from his youth in Santa Cruz with humor and unease: surf sessions laced with danger, family debates over truth and science, and a mother whose belief in conspiracy theories fractures their bond. When he writes, “Now when my mom and I look up at the same blue sky, she sees chemtrails, where I see clouds,” the simplicity of the line reveals something profound about distance and love. It’s this honesty, direct, unsentimental, but deeply felt, that gives the book its emotional weight.
His reflections on interviewing parents are both practical and philosophical. Thiermann treats listening as a skill that requires humility and patience. His advice to start with simple questions, to let silence breathe, feels genuine and attainable. He doesn’t posture as an expert but as someone learning in real time. When he describes forcing himself to write “bad questions” until something true appears, it captures the imperfect process of reaching toward another person.
The book’s rhythm is conversational yet purposeful. Thiermann alternates between intimate family vignettes and broader reflections on communication, mortality, and forgiveness. He resists the urge to offer neat resolutions, allowing discomfort and ambiguity to remain. That restraint makes his insights resonate more deeply.
One Last Question Before You Go manages to be both instructive and profoundly human. It’s a reminder that asking hard questions is not about control or closure, it’s about connection. This is a book for readers who value sincerity over polish, who want to bridge emotional gaps with their own parents, or who simply wish to understand their family stories before time takes them. Thoughtful, unguarded, and deeply affecting, Thiermann’s work lingers long after the final page.
Pages: 156 | ASIN : B0FR8JLM98
Finley’s Song
From the first page, Finley’s Song drew me into a story that mixes music, grief, and the stubborn hope that follows loss. At its heart, the book tells the story of Finley, a pianist whose husband dies in a sudden accident, leaving her to raise their son, Max, while stumbling through her own guilt and despair. The novel moves between their shared silence at home, their escape to Paris, and the healing they cautiously piece together through new connections, old memories, and the enduring pull of music. I liked how much this is not just Finley’s story but Max’s too, a portrait of a mother and son mourning in parallel yet trying to keep each other afloat.
The writing had me hooked and sometimes unsettled in the best way. Kathryn Mattingly paints grief with raw strokes, never dressing it up, never trying to make it neat. Some passages felt like a gut punch, especially when Finley blames herself for Simon’s death. The guilt is heavy, almost suffocating, and I could feel the weight of it. But then there are these glimmers, moments with Max by the river, or Finley staring at the Eiffel Tower, that break through like sunlight. I found myself both aching and rooting for them, wanting them to reach those fragile pockets of beauty again. The language isn’t flowery for the sake of it. It’s direct yet tender, and it left me pausing more than once just to sit with the feeling it stirred.
Sometimes Finley’s voice frustrated me. Her self-blame circles back so often that I caught myself whispering “let yourself breathe.” Yet, that honesty made her real. People stuck in grief do repeat themselves, and the author didn’t shy away from that truth. I also found Max’s perspective refreshing and painfully accurate. His teenage awkwardness, his longing for his father, his quiet way of observing the world, they rang true. If anything, his sections gave the book a balance it needed, grounding Finley’s spiraling thoughts with the bluntness of youth. That duality is what made the story so enjoyable for me.
Finley’s Song is filled with small, luminous moments that feel earned. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to read about loss in a way that doesn’t smooth the edges but instead embraces the messiness of it. Fans of books like Little Fires Everywhere or Where the Crawdads Sing will find a similar mix of emotional depth and vivid sense of place, but Finley’s Song feels more personal and raw, like a private journal you’ve been allowed to read.
Pages: 226 | ISBN : 978-1952909344
The Unabridged Life of Missy Kinkaid
The book follows Missy Kinkaid, a fifty-something woman navigating the mess of family baggage, complicated friendships, and the ghosts of old loves. It digs into her rocky relationship with her mother, who spent most of her life institutionalized, her bond with her late father, who adored her, and her often-fractured but deeply entwined connection with her cousin Margo. Around her orbit, other women, like Scarlet and Amber, form her circle of truth-telling, wine-drinking allies. What unfolds is not a neat story but a layered patch.
Reading it felt like sitting across from a friend who doesn’t sugarcoat anything. I laughed out loud at Missy’s breakdown in the cereal aisle, and then I teared up when she admitted how much her mother’s coldness still cut into her. The writing had this strange magic. At times, it was witty and biting, other times, it felt like someone opening an old wound right in front of me. Some parts rambled, but even then, I didn’t want to look away. It felt messy in the best way, like life itself.
I found myself torn between wanting to hug Missy and wanting to shake her. Her bitterness toward Margo stung, but I understood it, and the honesty of that relationship was one of my favorite parts. The book isn’t afraid to show women being selfish, being cruel, and being brave, sometimes all at once. That’s what hooked me most, the refusal to paint anyone as simply good or bad. The emotional swings kept me on my toes. One page I was chuckling at sarcastic banter, the next I was heavy with grief. It felt real in a way most novels don’t.
I was left thinking about how family shapes us, even when we try to escape it, and how friendship can carry us through the darkest corners of memory. I’d recommend this book to readers who like character-driven stories that don’t flinch away from uncomfortable truths. It’s especially for women who have lived through complicated families, failed relationships, and the ache of trying to start over. If you want something tidy, this isn’t it. But if you want to feel like you’ve lived a whole other life, then Missy Kinkaid’s story is worth your time.
Pages: 288 | ASIN : B0FPYKKFTP
Lasting Impacts
Buckaloo follows a couple opening a dog training academy and preparing for their wedding, who are navigating past traumas, the complexities of relationships, and the chaos of planning two major life events at the same time. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
When people find each other and choose to marry, they come with baggage from past relationships. Sometimes one partner is an open book, and the other holds close to their secrets. The story explores what happens when trust builds enough to share every truth. It’s about a couple with a relationship that can withstand whatever comes their way. That kind of maturity takes work but pays dividends. Offering two major life events, each with challenges, allows the reader to embrace the couple and cheer for their successes.
What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?
Early on, the reader learns that Bill is a “still waters run deep” kind of guy. His concern, respect, and acceptance of others have clearly been a long learning curve. Once inside his cadre, he’d give you anything. It took a long time to let Harley inside. Harley’s charisma brings people together. As an introvert, she has longed for a village to call on. In the novel, she realizes that her friends and family village was her doing. She shows love and acceptance to everyone in her ever-growing circle, watching as each one embraces their talent. Harley aches when things don’t go the way her friends or family might want. Central to Harley’s circle are dog lovers, with many dog owners in her crew. Harley wants others to have the close, respectful relationship she has with Gemma. The reader learns that her maturity has grown from several challenges, and we find she can still struggle over life’s triggers.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Weaved throughout the novel are four key themes. The first of these is that mid-life relationships are essential. The people in these relationships can help your life flourish, even if they haven’t been lifelong friends. Another theme conveyed in the work focuses on the human-canine relationship and how deep those relationships can become, with love, respect, and training. Another theme is how momentous life events can happen in planned and unplanned ways, and what matters is how you react. The other theme is how we humans form communities or villages, and especially how those have lasting impacts on our lives in large and small ways.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
Another novel with many of these characters and several new ones is planned. There will be continued focus on Bill and Harley, and their dogs Gemma, Blackjack, and their newest, Coda. Now that a few friends have become neighbors, there will be more focus on them, as well as the dog training academy. Additionally, Harley and Gemma are sure to find themselves assisting on a trail adventure.
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Throughout Harley and Gemma’s adventures, they have made friends in states as far east as Washington, D.C. and as far west as Oregon. Those friends and more have assisted Harley and her fiancé, Bill Harris, with their engagement and in their home designing and ranch developing endeavors. Those same friends gather once more to assist Harley and Bill with the academy opening. Since the friends have travelled far once again, Harley and Bill have agreed to have the academy opening one weekend with the wedding taking place the following weekend.
Before the events can happen, Harley and Gemma are called away for another dangerous adventure where Harley’s and Gemma’s skills are required. Before and between the life-changing events, friends and family arrive with their dogs, their own imperfect relationships, and their areas of expertise to help Harley and Bill. The story of Buckaloo revolves around excellent food, enjoyable conversation, especially those taking place at the fire pit, and dreams that might come true, though likely in unexpected ways.
Hurricane, twelve dogs, a training academy, glamping tents, and a black-clad stranger intertwine in this story of middle-aged friendships.
Blood on the Mountain
Blood on the Mountain, by Kristian Daniels, is a deeply personal coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of family conflict, small-town traditions, and the slow unraveling of childhood innocence. The story follows Noah as he navigates a tangle of faith, family expectations, and the painful realities of growing up different. Through his eyes, we see the sting of bullying, the quiet terror of not fitting in, and the tentative steps toward self-discovery both in terms of identity and sexuality. The novel blends these intimate struggles with generational drama, love stories, and moments of hope, creating a portrait of adolescence that feels as raw as it does real.
The writing pulls you right into the emotional center of each scene. The author captures the ache of wanting to belong and the fear of being yourself, especially in a world that can be both judgmental and unkind. The depictions of bullying are tough to read but impossible to ignore. They’re sharp and often mirror the subtle cruelties that linger after the school bell rings. Against this backdrop, Noah’s quiet journey toward accepting his sexuality unfolds in small, tender moments that contrast beautifully with the hostility around him.
The ideas here resonate on multiple levels. This isn’t just a story about teenage hardship. I think it’s about the courage to live authentically in the face of fear. The book speaks to the LGBTQ experience without turning it into a cliché or a token subplot. Instead, it weaves identity and sexuality into the fabric of Noah’s growth. It also asks hard questions about family loyalty, faith, and the cost of speaking your truth in environments that demand silence. While I enjoyed the novel, I believe that some of the antagonists felt a bit too black-and-white, but the emotional honesty in Noah’s perspective more than balances that out.
I’d recommend Blood on the Mountain to readers who value heartfelt and character-driven stories. Especially those interested in LGBTQ narratives, anti-bullying themes, and the messy, beautiful process of self-discovery. It’s a moving, sometimes difficult, but ultimately hopeful read.
Pages: 393 | ASIN : B0FLVW2J1J
Intervention in Church Conflict
In Intervention in Church Conflict, Dorothy R. Dann shares her personal and professional journey of navigating congregational conflict using a blend of narrative therapy and family systems theory. Rooted in her doctoral work and lived pastoral experience, the book recounts how she developed and applied a model for healing a divided church community. Through a series of phases, listening, externalizing, deconstructing, and rewriting, the intervention unfolds with theological grounding, leadership development, and a commitment to wholeness. The book is part memoir, part field guide, and part theological reflection.
This book was a surprisingly emotional experience for me. I expected an academic treatment, something heavy with theory and light on humanity. But Dann writes with a raw honesty that caught me off guard. Her vulnerability and deep compassion for the congregation she served shine through every page. I could feel her struggle to hold steady as a new pastor, tasked with helping a broken community rediscover itself. The writing is accessible, even when she’s discussing dense theoretical concepts. What really struck me was her belief that healing begins with storytelling, not fixing, not diagnosing, but listening. That resonated with me. It reminded me that leadership isn’t about having the answers but about being present in the hard moments.
Some chapters, particularly those summarizing academic sources, felt like detours from the gripping story of the actual church intervention. I found myself craving more narrative and fewer summaries of systems theory. Still, the theory has its place, and I get why she included it. For a pastor or counselor walking into their own conflict zone, those resources might be lifelines. The blend of scholarship and heart is ultimately what gives the book its depth. I just wished for more moments where the personal story took center stage, because when it did, it sang.
I’d wholeheartedly recommend this book to pastors, seminarians, church leaders, and anyone trying to navigate messy group dynamics, whether in faith communities or elsewhere. It’s especially valuable for those who feel in over their heads but want to walk with integrity and love through tough seasons. This book doesn’t offer quick fixes. It’s not a how-to manual with step-by-step guarantees. But what it does offer is wisdom, humility, and hope, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need when all you see is conflict.
Pages: 97 | ASIN : B0CW1L7FG2
Winning is Not Always Winning
MATE takes a unique look at marriage through the lens of a chess match in which each phase of the relationship is examined with play-by-play commentary. Why was this an important book for you to write?
This was my first and, probably will be, my only, relationship book. The challenges were many. I had to restrain myself from judging the couple’s actions. Since “the game” happens on a subconscious level, I didn’t want their behaviors to be extreme. The book revels in making the everyday, seemingly insignificant things said and done to be monumental and epochal. Only they don’t know it. Hence, the use of the commentator, who may get a tad overwrought in the interpretation and importance of their actions. Also, I had to purge myself of caring who was the winner in “the game”. The commentator addresses this early on. Winning may be not be really winning. Winning a game may actually be detrimental, but the players will never see why.
How did your idea to use the chess metaphor evolve as you planned and wrote this book?
I started with the Chess scheme. It had been on my mind for many years. The chess/marriage idea seemed natural. “War” might be extreme. You could call it battles. The conflict and friction that I dwell on was probably influenced my reading the work of R. D. Laing in the 1970s. His book Sanity, Madness, and The Family had an impact on me.
What do you find is the most difficult aspect of writing about relationships?
The most difficult part was trying not to forget to include the many aspects and perspectives on their relationship. Each other, the kids, the friends, parents, the in-laws, not mention the other innumerable sources of conflict. Ultimately, it took a long time to write the book because of the nature of the narrative. There were few opportunities to elaborate on the details of their conflicts except for the times the commentator rhapsodized about certain episodes and the games that were summarized and did not advance move by move.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from MATE?
Because MATE took a long time to write, causing me to think too much about different ways to engage the reader. Two examples: One, leave some blank pages after a chapter and have the reader rewrite how he or she would have the chapter on the children or the living arrangements would go. Second, at the end of the novel, leave eight to ten pages and have the readers write the “game” of their own marriage – it would be interesting to compare the woman’s to the man’s version.
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MATE: a novel in twenty games
MATE: a novel in twenty games, by Robert Castle, is unlike any book I’ve read. It dissects a marriage by mapping each moment of intimacy, conflict, and compromise onto the framework of a chess match. The story of Pillsbury and Larkin unfolds over twenty “games,” each representing phases of their relationship like courtship, childbirth, relocation, and eventual separation. Every chapter reads like a brutal play-by-play commentary of a high-stakes match where each line of dialogue is a calculated move. The result is raw, honest, and often uncomfortably accurate in its portrayal of the delicate, ongoing war that can exist beneath the surface of domestic life.
Castle’s writing is sharp, biting, and at times hilariously cruel. His chess metaphor isn’t just a clever gimmick; it’s an ingenious device that illuminates the absurdity and tragedy of two people trying (and failing) to love each other properly. The characters aren’t likable in a traditional sense. In fact, they’re often selfish, petty, or clueless. But that’s the point. Marriage, as Castle paints it, is not about romance or even companionship; it’s about control, defense, sacrifice, and sometimes resignation. It was refreshing, even when it hurt to read.
I do feel the relentless move-countermove commentary, while brilliant, could feel overwhelming to some readers. The structure, while unique, can become a bit too clever, making some of the emotional beats feel like intellectual puzzles rather than lived moments. Still, I can’t deny that Castle has created something utterly original. He lets the characters tear each other apart, and we’re left to pick through the wreckage.
MATE is not a book for romantics. But if you’ve ever been in a long relationship, especially one that has frayed over time, Castle’s work will speak to you. It’s for readers who want their fiction uncomfortable, honest, and unflinching. It would resonate with couples therapists, chess fans, failed lovers, and those quietly questioning their own relationships. It’s both cynical and relatable, and it left me thinking about it long after I put it down.
Pages: 176 | ISBN : 978-1963908497
