My first novelette, “Envelopes of Hope,” was inspired by my daughter after she went into rehab. Sara sent a letter to me, thanking me for not giving up on her. From that came the story of a young girl who fell into the world of drugs. With the support of her family, she was able to leave that world and find happiness that had eluded her since she was a young child. (Available on Amazon)
“My Name is Rebecca: A Novelette” is historical fiction that was inspired by my mother’s family who came to America in the early 1900s from Russia for a better life. The reader accompanies the family on their voyage to America, the process of going through Ellis Island, and their time in the Lower East Side of New York. While the story is fiction, I included some situations that I heard while growing up. I will be glad to share those stories with anyone who contacts me after reading the book. As an added note, the photo on the cover is of my mother when she was four years old in 1931. (Available on Amazon)
Recently published–a journal to help you on your journey to find peace and happiness in life. Available on Amazon. “Twelve days before the World Health Organization declared Covid 19 as a worldwide pandemic, the author lost her daughter to a fentanyl overdose. Over the course of the next year and a half, Mrs. Babrove developed a website and wrote a book to help educate parents about drugs, prevention, interventions, and resources. A clinical therapist, the author’s newest creation is a daily journal to help people deal with the stress that has become widespread since the beginning of the pandemic, for those who have suffered loss, anxiety and daily stressors. (Available on Amazon)
Words from a mother in mourning. How to protect your child from drugs. When my daughter passed away suddenly in February 2020, our initial reaction was that she had suffered a cardiac arrest. Until the autopsy report was completed six weeks later, all I could do was wonder what had happened from the time I had spoken to her until an hour and a half later when I received a call that she was found unconscious. When I found out from the medical examiner’s office that she died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, I was devastated. Sara had had a substance abuse problem for over thirty years before finally going to a rehab program in 2016. For the first time since she was a little girl, we were finally able to develop a friendship. And then she was gone.
After Sara died, I decided to write a book to help educate parents about the dangers of drugs. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a mother of someone with a drug addiction, I wanted to provide knowledge and resources to help prevent others from taking the path that Sara went down. There is so much information and so many resources that are available now that weren’t in the 1980s. While parenting has always been challenging, it is more complicated today because of technology that is available to our children.
My goal in writing this book was to provide knowledge about drugs, parenting techniques, and resources that are available for parents. I hope that I achieved that goal. (Available on Amazon.) Please visit: http://herstarforevershines.wordpress.com
If you read “When Shadows Linger” (and I hope you will), watch for the butterfly table. When I was in 4th grade, I wrote a paper titled, “My Dream House.” The only part I remember is the butterfly table. While writing the book, the story came back to me and I remembered exactly how I had described it. I hope you enjoy it. Hey–you might even see it in the sequel, “The Primrose Garden.”
Maggie Sinclair, thirty-one years old, is widowed when her husband dies in a car accident following a winter storm. Having difficulty remaining in Wisconsin because of constant memories, Maggie moves to Vermont to start a new life. Opening up a private therapy practice, she meets Ben Grayson, a psychologist with an office in her building. Maggie is reluctant to become involved with Ben as she is still in love with her husband. As time passes, Maggie encounters signs of her late husband in various forms, such as a soft touch on her face or seeing a shadow. As her relationship with Ben intensifies, Maggie’s husband appears to her by voice and finally in person. Maggie is constantly asking him for a sign that it is okay for her to move on. Through the therapy that she provides to her clients who are dealing with loss due to death, family issues and adoption, Maggie also works on resolving her own grief. (Available on Amazon)
The Primrose Garden is the story of the hurdles encountered by siblings as they try to keep their family together after the sudden deaths of their parents. When it is determined a year later that their parents did not die in an accident, the reader accompanies the siblings as they each struggle with the fact that their parents were murdered.
For those who read “When Shadows Linger,” they will recognize some of the characters in this sequel. “The Primrose Garden” deals with family, loss, substance abuse, suicide prevention, and love. A mystery romance, it is sure to hold the interest of readers who enjoy both genres. (Available on Amazon)
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