Tyler Hillis

For the past two years I’ve been agonizing and wrestling with “the book.” This project – a high-fantasy debut novel – has pushed my creativity and persistence to new levels, and you can read all about my struggles and triumphs in my previous blog posts.

So it comes as a surprise to myself that my very first published writing in a book comes in the form of a supplementary piece to a memoir that I wrote and edited over the course of a couple weeks.

And despite how much I’ve fought to get “the book” published, I am so happy that my first published work comes in this other form.

A Complicated Grace: A Collaborative Memoir Of Addiction, Grief, And Forgiveness is primarily authored by my Uncle Dave. It features a series of letters he wrote his son Jordan during Jordan’s time in prison. Mixed in with these letters are memories and reflections about Jordan from his friends and family.

My contribution is one of these reflections. It centers around the special connection us Hillis cousins have with one another – a connection that transcends typical definition. And while my part is a small piece to this large work, I feel as though it helps to achieve this book’s goal in painting a picture of who Jordan was, and how the community around him has grieved his passing.

It would give me no greater joy than to see this book reach those who are also going through terrible and unexpected loss. Our hope when creating it was to create some connection through trauma to those who feel alone in their grief.

Please consider buying and leaving a review from any of the following sites:

Amazon: Link

Barnes and Noble: Link

Bookshop.org: Link