Newmarket native and Barrie author Nicholas Goodman is determined to continue getting the word out and telling his stories to help others, even though his first book tour was put on hold when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Goodman has been a hospice worker, counsellor and massage therapist, all of which, combined with his journeys across Europe, inspired him to write A Moment with Grace.
“It has been an interesting journey, to say the least,” said Goodman. “I’ve experienced so much within myself and of those around me, but there is an absolute beauty to experiencing locations like France, England and Greece.”
Goodman was about to embark on the tour for his book around North America when the pandemic changed those plans. He hopes to get people to read the book he calls “literary fiction with most of it being true.”
A Moment with Grace focuses on the subjects of love and loss, grief and bereavement, of which Goodman has seen much.
“I was a counsellor at Hospice Simcoe a couple of years ago and have worked as an addiction counsellor, so grief, loss and the emotions that go with that are something I’m used to,” said Goodman.
Despite his background in dealing with grief, the 37-year-old writer stresses the book isn’t necessarily gloom and doom, but rather uplifting.
“I would call this a companion for people who are grieving, a way to celebrate life rather than being a dark story,” said Goodman. “It can get very deep and philosophical, but it also has a young man’s quest to find love.”
While Goodman is unable to travel to promote the book, he hopes to add to the approximate 840,000 copies already sold as he is working on his second book, which deals with the first five years of his sobriety.
“I have a sense of urgency to write this one, for some reason,” said Goodman. “What I’ve realized when writing about my own past addictions is that I am not somber or angry about them. I’m a grateful addict, and with that I can maybe help others.”
For more information about A Moment with Grace or to order the book, head to Goodman’s website here.
