EPISODE 634 - Kelly Farley - He Lost His Baby Too, Survival Guide for the Grieving Dad and Grieving Dads

If you have ever loved a child, then you understand what it’s like to love someone more than you love life itself. If you have ever lost a child, then you understand more about hell than anyone could possibly be expected to know. This isn’t something you get over. Only those who have lost a child can understand the depths to which this pain travels. Like most of the men who will read these books, I too am a grieving dad.

The message I want bereaved fathers to understand is that I know it’s hard, I know it hurts, I know it’s scary — but you can get through this. You can survive. It will be the hardest thing you will ever experience; it will drain you physically, mentally, and emotionally. You can come out on the other side of this very long and lonely tunnel, but you will be a different person when you do. There is no going back to the old you.

You also need to know that you are not alone in your grief. Other men have been through this and that the emotions they keep inside are the same emotions all of us experience, even if we don't talk about them. The best thing you can do is to reach out for help and to know it is not a sign of “weakness” to do so. Instead, it’s a sign of courage and strength — the kind that’s required to face this battle head on.

Book: He Lost His Baby Too
Survival Guide for the Grieving Dad

This book was written specifically for fathers grappling with the unbearable aftermath of losing a baby. It is all too easy for a bereaved father to succumb to a haunting sense of isolation after such a loss. However, within these pages lies a lifeline—a survival guide infused with wisdom, providing a roadmap through the complicated path of grief.

In the wake of a tragic loss—whether it be a miscarriage, a stillbirth, or the untimely passing of an infant—this invaluable resource unravels the layers of anguish that overwhelm grieving fathers. Written by a grieving dad, this book offers unflinching honesty and poignant insight, it also delves into the raw pain that accompanies such a profound loss, assuring these men that their emotions, however overwhelming, are both valid and shared by others who have walked a similar path.

Book: Grieving Dads
To the Brink and Back

A collection of candid stories from grieving dads that were interviewed over a two-year period. The book offers insight from fellow members of, in the haunting words of one dad, “this terrible, terrible club,” which consists of men who have experienced the death of a child. This book is a collection of survival stories by men who have survived the worst possible loss and lived to tell the tale.

They are real stories that pull no punches and are told with brutal honesty. Men that have shared their deepest and darkest moments. Moments that included thoughts of suicide, self-medication, and homelessness. Some of these men have found their way back from the brink, while others are still standing there, stuck in their pain. The core message of Grieving Dads is “you’re not alone.” It is a message that desperately needs to be delivered to grieving dads who often grieve in silence due to society’s expectations.

https://www.grievingdads.com/

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EPISODE 633 - Chris Kruger - Walking Away from the Ledge - A Soldier's Memoir, the raw truth of war, survival, and self-destruction

Walking Away from the Ledge: A Soldier's Memoir

Walking Away from the Ledge is a hard-hitting, no-BS military memoir that goes beyond the battlefield to expose the raw truth of war, survival, and self-destruction. With an unapologetic voice and brutal honesty, Chris takes readers deep inside the challenging world of an Army Ranger, the brotherhood that holds soldiers together, and the personal demons that threaten to tear them apart.

More than a war story, this book is about what happens when the fight doesn’t end—the toll of combat, the grip of addiction, and the struggle to hold onto love when everything else is falling apart. This memoir hits hard, digs deep, and refuses to look away.

https://paradedeck.com/news/author/christopher-kruger
https://a.co/d/b4CukhO

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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/

Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!
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E632 - Shelley Grandy - Devious Web - A bingeworthy mystery thriller through business and politics

Shelley Grandy, Canadian author of the tech‑thriller Devious Web, joins the show to talk about her path from journalism and corporate communications into fiction, and how her real‑world experience in high‑tech and politics shaped the novel. Born in Timmins and now living in Trenton, Ontario, Shelley spent years as a reporter and then as a writer in the telecom and fibre‑optics world, eventually running her own PR firm. That background in data, networks, and media handling feeds directly into Devious Web, which follows Tom Oliver, a Toronto tech CEO whose data‑analytics company becomes the center of a dangerous conspiracy just as he’s about to sell to a Silicon Valley buyer. The story weaves together business intrigue, family tensions, politics, and a homicide investigation led by Tom’s detective friend, with Shelley using interviews and media moments in the book to naturally explain complex technology and U.S. issues like gerrymandering for general readers.

Shelley also opens up about the reality of being a debut novelist later in life: finishing the manuscript isn’t the finish line, it’s the starting gun. She describes the emotional and practical challenges of claiming the title “author,” battling imposter syndrome, and then having to learn social media, build a website, start a newsletter, and get comfortable showing up in public to market the book. For someone used to writing behind the scenes, events like speaking at the National Women’s Show in Toronto, experimenting with Instagram, and nurturing an email list are all part of what she calls “The Journey”—the ongoing process she chronicles on her blog. Her training as a journalist still shapes her fiction: she writes in tight, scene‑based chapters that she can easily imagine on screen, focuses on strong openings, and then has to consciously slow down to add colour, atmosphere, and richer description.

A big part of the conversation dives into how Devious Web blends entertainment with timely themes. Shelley talks about drawing on her long‑standing interest in U.S. politics—especially the Trump era and debates over democracy—to bring gerrymandering, data analytics, and the misuse of personal information into the plot without turning the book into a lecture. She explains gerrymandering in plain language, connects it to modern data‑driven targeting, and hints at how the wrong hands using the right software could tip the balance of power, all while keeping the focus on mystery, character, and suspense. The book also reflects her personal passions: there’s a romantic subplot, horses and equestrian life, Canadian settings she knows intimately (from Toronto restaurants and banks to Honey Harbour and Caledon stables), and vivid secondary characters like Patrick, the charming Irish “bad boy” whose Las Vegas misadventures were especially fun for her to write. Shelley even shares how she fact‑checked locations after the pandemic by revisiting them in person, turning research into a kind of mini‑adventure.

https://www.shelleygrandy.com/

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Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!
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