Alicia King

Alicia King is the author of "Healing: The Essential Guide to Helping Others Overcome Grief and Loss". Ms. King writes from the unique perspective of one who has lost many of those close to her. Her mother's death was suspicious enough to launch a homicide investigation and lengthy legal rollercoaster. This ultimately led to a sentence of more than 15 years for her mother's boyfriend. During the next eight years, she would lose her grandmother, stepfather, stepmother, and father, as well as miscarrying in her second trimester while awaiting her mother's boyfriend's trial. Ms. King currently lives in Tennessee with her husband Dan and their two children. She's a world-class worrier, earning her the nickname The Queen of Concern. She is also an award-winning songwriter, writing mostly for film and TV.

Articles:

The Ruby Connection

My mother died 2 months after she turned 48. Her boyfriend was suspected in her death, but he was never charged. This left me with no answers, no closure, and no mother. I think this emotional “lostness” created a need for connections to her that I may not have experienced otherwise, at least not at the same intensity. I clung to everything – her clothes, her books, and anything with her handwriting on it. That same circling script that signed my elementary school permission slips became a touchstone for me as an adult, reminding me of days spent in her […]

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Valentine’s Day for a Daddy’s Girl

I admit it.  I was always a daddy’s girl.  Don’t get me wrong. I was very close to my mom, too. I was lucky.  I had two loving, involved parents.    Still, my dad and I were tight.  When my parents split, I couldn’t bear to see him alone, so I left our cushy family home and slept on the lumpy couch of his rental house.  I sought his approval and was always thrilled to see him in the audience of a school play or the sidelines of a little league game.    My dad always bought sentimental Valentine’s Day cards […]

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Don’t Let Last Words Be Words of Regret

Most people who have lost someone close to them replay their last moments together over and over in their minds. Sometimes it’s in a favorable way, thankful for the chance to say all they needed to say to each other. The “now or never” aspect casts a new, urgent light on what matters most. Priorities become clear. Other times, we think of everything we did wrong, they did wrong, or what we wish we could change. When death is unexpected, comments considered mundane at the time can turn out to be their much-repeated “last words.” Those of us left behind […]

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