June 1st, 2011 --  12 pm EST - Kristine Carlson, author of Heart-Broken Open

Kris Carlson had an idyllic life. She and her husband Richard had a romantic marriage, two beautiful daughters, and-thanks to the success of Richard's bestselling Don't Sweat the Small Stuff series-all of the comforts of the American Dream.

But on December 13, 2006, that perfect story took a sudden and heartbreaking turn when, on a typical flight to New York, a pulmonary embolism would take Richards life; catapulting Kris into heartbreak and uncertainty.

It was the end of life as Kris knew it, and the beginning of a journey through the depths of grief and mourning that would reveal to Kris her true strength and an immeasurable love that cannot be broken.

This book is a courageously honest memoir. It is the true story of a wife, a mother, a woman forced to come face to face with fear, insecurity, and the painful but ultimately precious teachings Kris Carlson discovered along the way.

This wise little book offers a timeless message of inspiration, empowerment, and courage for anyone that has experienced and endured any kind of loss or hardship.