The author's life is turned upside down when her mentally ill mother reveals she is dying, and she moves from Portland to New Mexico to care for her.

The legendary crime writer unsparingly describes his shattered childhood, his delinquent teens, his writing life, his love affairs and marriages, his nervous breakdown, and the beginning of a relationship with an extraordinary woman who may just be the long-sought "Her."

The author's memoir recounting his wife Liz's death shortly after the birth of their daughter Madeline and how he and his daughter Maddy have built a life for themselves--grounded in large part in the life and marriage he shared with Liz.

"Mershon Niesner was eight-years-old when her mother died. In addition to her early loss story, Niesner interviewed over fifty daughters giving readers a broad perspective on mother loss. Stories and advice comes from daughters of teen and young adult loss, loss through homicide, abandonment, and Alzheimer’s. Mershon writes from her heart as she shares over seventy years of mother loss experience. Readers come away with a sense of camaraderie, insight...