Grief & Loss

When a Loved One Dies

Compassionate, practical help for the days, weeks, and months after loss.

By Alice Truman · TA4U Publications · 2025

★★★★★ Amazon Reviews

📖 Paperback — Amazon 📱 Kindle eBook

Paperback Kindle eBook

What This Book Is About

Grief is real work.
This book helps you do it.

When someone you love dies, everything stops — and somehow everything keeps moving at the same time. There are phone calls to make, decisions to face, and a pain that no one prepared you for.

When a Loved One Dies was written to sit beside you through that. Not to rush you through grief or hand you a five-step process. Just to give you real, compassionate guidance for the practical things you have to do — and honest support for the emotional ones.

Alice Truman writes with the warmth of a trusted friend who's been through it and the clarity of someone who knows exactly what you need to hear right now.

Note: This book offers general guidance and emotional support. It is not a substitute for legal, financial, or medical advice. Please consult appropriate professionals for those decisions.

"You don't have to have it together right now. You don't have to know what to do next. You just have to get through today — and this book can help you do that."

This book is for you if:

→ You've just lost someone and don't know what to do first
→ You're helping a loved one through their grief
→ You're weeks or months out and still struggling
→ You want to understand what grief actually is — and what's normal

What You'll Find Inside

Honest, gentle guidance from the first hour to the first year.

What to do in the first 24–48 hours after a death — a calm, step-by-step walkthrough
How to notify family, friends, employers, and government agencies — without missing anything important
Understanding the stages of grief — and why your experience might not follow the "stages" you've heard about
What grief actually feels like physically, emotionally, and mentally — and what's completely normal
How to handle holidays, anniversaries, and other "grief landmines" in the first year
How to support children through the loss of someone they love
What to say (and what not to say) to someone who is grieving
When and how to ask for help — and the difference between grief and depression
How to take care of yourself while you grieve — and why that matters

Get the Paperback on Amazon Kindle eBook

Both formats available now

Reader Reviews

From readers who found this book when they needed it most

★★★★★

Verified Amazon Purchase

"My mother passed two weeks ago. A friend recommended this book and I am so grateful she did. It's like having a calm, steady person with you who knows exactly what you need to hear. I've already given copies to two other family members."

Linda P.

Amazon Reviewer

★★★★★

Verified Amazon Purchase

"I ordered this for a coworker who lost her husband and ended up reading the whole thing myself. It's practical AND emotional — which is exactly what grief is. Not preachy. Not clinical. Just honest and kind."

Marcus H.

Amazon Reviewer

★★★★★

Verified Amazon Purchase

"I've lost both parents now and both times I wished I had something like this. The section on the first few days alone is worth the price. Everything you need to do but no one tells you about in one place."

Carol W.

Amazon Reviewer

Alice Truman

End-of-Life Planning · Grief · Family

Alice Truman writes about the hardest parts of life with a steady, compassionate hand. Her books are for people who need real help, not platitudes — practical guidance that honors both the emotional reality of loss and the practical demands it puts on us.

She believes that good books about grief should make you feel less alone, not more overwhelmed. Every book she writes is designed to sit beside the reader like a trusted friend — not a textbook, not a lecture.

See All Books by Alice Truman

Common Questions

Questions readers often ask

Both. Grief hits you on both levels at the same time — you're devastated and you also have a hundred things to figure out. This book addresses both. The first half is more practical: what to do and when. The second half is more about the emotional journey of grief over time. Most readers dip back and forth depending on what they need on a given day.

The book is written to be helpful regardless of who you lost — a parent, spouse, child, sibling, close friend, or other loved one. While it doesn't address every unique circumstance, the core practical guidance and emotional framework applies across most experiences of loss.

Yes — many people order this specifically to give to someone who is grieving. It's a thoughtful, genuinely useful gift that says "I care about you and I want you to have real help." Readers consistently mention receiving it as a gift and how meaningful it was.

No. This book offers compassionate guidance and general support — it is not a substitute for professional counseling, therapy, or mental health care. If you or someone you know is struggling deeply with grief, please reach out to a licensed counselor or grief professional. The book includes guidance on when and how to seek professional help.

Yes. The Kindle eBook is available separately on Amazon (ASIN: B0FS1LPYW1). Both formats are available now.

A Free Resource from Alice Truman

The First 30 Days After a Loss: A Compassionate Checklist

A free, printable guide to the practical and emotional steps in the month after someone you love passes away. Enter your email and I'll send it right to you.

No spam, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.

📋

Day-by-day checklist

What needs to happen in the first 30 days — in order.

🕯️

Gentle reminders for self-care

How to take care of yourself while taking care of everything else.

💛

Completely free

Print it, share it, or keep it on your phone.

When a Loved One Dies

Grief is real work.This book helps you do it.

Honest, gentle guidance from the first hour to the first year.

From readers who found this book when they needed it most

Alice Truman

Questions readers often ask

The First 30 Days After a Loss: A Compassionate Checklist

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