“An amazingly moving and emotional story that any woman―or any parent―can easily relate to.” ―Jennifer Hamilton, Editor, Canadian Family magazine Expecting Sunshine is a multi-award-winning memoir and a Kirkus Review BEST INDIE BOOK of 2017 Anyone who has experienced—or knows someone who has experienced—miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, or other forms of pregnancy and baby loss should read Expecting Sunshine , including those considering or already pregnant again. After her son, Zachary, dies in her arms at birth, visual artist and author Alexis Marie Chute disappears into her “Year of Distraction.” She cannot paint or write or tap into the heart of who she used to be, mourning not only for Zachary, but also for the future they might have had together. It is only when Chute learns she is pregnant again that she sets out to find healing and rediscover her identity—just in time, she hopes, to welcome her next child. In the forty weeks of her pregnancy, Chute grapples with her strained marriage, shaken faith, and medical diagnosis, with profound results. Glowing with riveting and gorgeous prose, Expecting Sunshine chronicles the anticipation and anxiety of expecting a baby while still grieving for the child that came before—enveloping readers with insightful observations on grief and healing, life and death, and the incredible power of a mother’s love. Letter from a reader: I just finished your beautiful book Expecting Sunshine and felt compelled to reach out and say thank you. A few days after I found out I miscarried, a few days before my D&C, I went to Barnes & Noble in hopes of finding a guidebook or self-help book of how to heal and cope with miscarriage or loss of a child. I searched every feasible location: self-help, psychology, family planning, childcare. With tears in my eyes I was too embarrassed to ask anyone at the counter for help. There I was already utterly heartbroken and feeling more alone than ever. Not a single book for me to turn to. I pulled out my phone, googled “books about miscarriage” and found your book and ordered it on the spot. It must not have been easy for you and your family to share your story, but I hope you know what an impact you’ve had on me and likely so many other women. You’ve given me so much hope for my year ahead. —Katie Rhodes, Oakland, California www.ExpectingSunshine.com 2019 Eric Hoffer Award Finalist in The da Vinci Eye 2018 Body Mind Spirit Book Awards: Winner, Death & Dying category 2018 eLit Book Awards: Bronze, Parenting category 2018 Nautilus Book Awards: Silver, Parenting & Family category 2018 IBPA Ben Franklin Awards Finalist in Best New Voices: Non-Fiction 2018 IBPA Ben Franklin Awards Finalist in Autobiography & Memoir 2018 Reader Views Literary Awards Finalist in Parenting/Family/Relationships 2018 Finalist, da Vinci Eye Award, Eric Hoffer Book Award 2017 IndieReader Discovery Awards: Women's Issues, First Place 2017 Royal Dragonfly Book Award Winner in Women's Interests 2017 Canada Book Award Winner 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner, Best Cover Design, nonfiction 2017 USA Best Book Awards Finalist in Women's Issues 2017 USA Best Book Awards Finalist in Best New Non-Fiction 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Parenting/Family Non-Fiction 2017 Foreword Indies Finalist in Adult Nonfiction—Grief & Grieving IndieReader BEST INDIE BOOKS of 2017 pick Kirkus Review BEST INDIE BOOKS of 2017 Best Indie Book sof 2017 Top 10 " Expecting Sunshine is an invaluable resource for those dealing with loss, as well as a beautifully-told story of grief, hope, healing and love." —IndieReader “A moving saga of motherhood in extremis that earns its moments of certainty and bliss through an honest grappling with pain and doubt.” — Kirkus “Exquisitely detailed and achingly honest. A must-read.” —Ariel Brewster, senior editor, Today’s Parent Magazine “Alexis Marie Chute, tasked with living as she mourns the death of her child, writes vividly and honestly about loss and grief. Expecting Sunshine records a journey that proves to be revelatory for reader and writer alike. This is a brave, memorable book.” —Jane Brox, author of Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light "This memoir is a moving journey of infant loss and the pregnancy that follows in the midst of a society that does not understand the dynamics of perinatal loss. The book explores the different ways men and women process grief, suppressing grief while wanting others to remember a baby no longer physically present, and how to find a new normal. The pregnancy that follows brings multifaceted feelings of continued grief, memories of the previous pregnancy along with anxiety and fear for the safety of the much-wanted new sibling. This is a book for parents, professionals, and families and friends wishing to support someone who has suffered a loss.” —Joann O'Leary, PhD, Parent-Infant Specialist, author of Meeting the Needs of Fami