Five by Five—Listening for signs from the departed

Tara Badstubner

By Max Bowen 

Tara Badstubner's debut “Every Room Remembers” (Sibylline Press, Sept 25, 2026) is a portrayal of a young widow’s journey following the sudden loss of her husband, where signs from the natural world and the community she always needed guide her toward healing.

The novel shows "both sides" of grief by alternating points of view between the grieving widow and her ghost husband who watches over her. 

In this interview, Tara talks about the inspiration for the book’s dual points of view, if she believes the deceased can pass on messages to the living and the message to readers.

What inspired the dual points of view and how does this shape the story?
The dual point of view emerged after I went to upstate New York to be a part of a writing cohort. There were four of us staying in a Victorian mansion, and on the third night, all of us together, experienced an undeniable haunting. This strange event got me thinking about the inherent loss of the bereaved but also the departed. I wondered what it might be like to have an unfinished life, dreams and aspirations, yet be yanked out of life into a liminal space, a ghost.

What inspired this book?
The initial germ of the idea came about during COVID. I, like so many other people, was struggling with the daily toll of the pandemic. It was taking up a lot of mental space, this fear of losing someone dear to me. A good friend encouraged me to write into my fears instead of trying to squash them or deny them. This suggestion was a gift. It completely changed my relationship with this fear of loss. I realized through my protagonist, SJ, that, yes, there was this fear of death, but there was also a dogged hope, a grit. I didn't know this about myself until I wrote this novel.

Do you believe that the departed can send signs to the living?
Yes, I do believe the departed send signs to the living, but I also believe the living need to be in a receptive state to see the signs, the communication. I think grief can be such a tsunami of emotions that often we're unable to perceive the subtle ways the departed try to reach us. I think a degree of emotional quiet needs to be present to truly perceive. Often, it is years after a loss, when there is finally a degree of peace present, that we notice unique signs from our loved ones.

What is the role of the natural world and SJ’s community in her healing?
The "natural world" is a catch-all phrase for all the wonderful ways the world shows up to help SJ through her deep mourning. Her dog, a snake, beetles, a curious fox, a Carolina wren—each of these shows up at pivotal moments in her life, each with a different role. Some of them act as harbingers of change; others act as protection and comfort; still others act as chaperones from one stage of life to the next. This goes back to the idea of signs. Often, signs appear to us from the "natural world," but we must be looking for them.

Is there a message that you hope readers take from this?
I hope a reader, especially one who has experienced deep loss, might read this novel and feel seen, but I also hope it might encourage a degree of curiosity. What signs might have been there all along that were missed? How has the world been trying to speak to me? If a person comes out of reading this book a degree or two more compassionate to those who are grieving and a bit more curious, I will feel all the effort had real purpose.

For more information, visit https://www.tarabadstubner.com.

Five by Five—The story of a nontraditional traditional relationship

By Max Bowen 

Over 40 years, Marsh Rose and Jack shared a relationship living in separate homes but with a bond that ran deep. When Jack passed from a stroke, Marsh was encouraged to turn a column she was working into a memoir, “A Version of the Truth,” set to be released in October.

Set in the famed Northern California wine country, the book explores themes of feminism, sexuality, identity, love and loss, inviting readers to think about the search for truth and the ways in which we must confront its mystery to find a version we can live with.

In this interview, Marsh talks about how she and Jack met and the nature of their relationship. She talks about the grieving process after Jack passed and how she turned that story into this new memoir.

Let’s begin with how you and Jack met and how the relationship began.
We bonded over DIY projects. Jack was a neighbor when I lived in a decrepit rental in northern California. The landlord was upset about rent control (he deemed it “socialism”), he wouldn’t make repairs and the place was falling apart. Jack was a construction worker and helped keep the place from collapsing around me. We developed a routine of two nights a week together and daily phone calls. Neither of us wanted to get married or live together.

Can you talk more about the unique nature of your relationship?
We had little in common, superficially: no shared upbringing, lifestyle, interests or friends. But we both craved intimacy while also protecting our privacy and independence. This foundation helped me to allow our differences to inform my own life and perspectives over the years.

What was your grieving process, after so many years together?
I relied on two special friends, my journal which always helps anchor me to sanity, and the need to stay grounded so that I could keep working, remain healthy and possibly write about it.

What inspired you to share yours and Jack’s story?
I was working with my mentor, Marion Roach Smith, to develop an essay I hoped to submit to the New York Times’ “Modern Love” column, about helping a partner with health problems in a nontraditional relationship. When I was a few weeks away from finishing the essay, Jack had a stroke and…the ending happened, to my ultimate surprise. Marion and I decided to turn the essay into a full-length memoir. I see it less as a story about the relationship, which is just the vehicle, and more as the discovery that we don’t always get the answers we need.

Any messages that you hope the readers take from it?
These days, especially as AI becomes more and more prevalent in our lives, we’re led to believe we can have all the answers to all our mysteries. We can’t, but we can find a way to live with unanswerable questions. I hope the readers get that message. To abuse the wise words of Mick Jagger, we can’t always get what we want but maybe, in this story, some readers may get something they need.

“I Am The First” comic explores bullying and mental health alongside hope and being true to yourself

The recently-released comic series “I Am The First” is a powerful story that touches on subjects like bullying, grief, and even suicide. But there's another message as well—that hope is still out there. The comic is the brainchild of author Jeremy Flagg and working with illustrator Amanda Kahl, they have created a story that has resonated with readers in a number of ways.

In small-town Maine, standing out in a crowd can be dangerous. Alec hasn't had an easy life. After his father died, his mother married Don to help make ends meet. What she didn't know, her second husband would turn into an alcoholic leech. Worst yet, his drunken rages are directed at Alec, the son he never wanted.

To make mattes worse, Alec has a secret even he doesn't understand.

Then there's Roxanne, a friendship that fell apart as Alec struggled to cope with the death of his father. Despite the walls he's erected to shield himself from the outside world, Roxanne is determined to be more than a sidekick in his life. So when the comic book aficionado discovers her friend has gifts beyond the average lanky-teenage boy, she is determined to teach him what it means to be a hero.

In this interview, Remy and Amanda talk about how they came to work together on this project. Amanda dives into the process of creating the visuals while Remy shares the challenges of being a novelist and writing something where brevity is they key. We talk about the different messages behind the series and the response they've gotten from readers. The series is currently in issue 2, with the third to be released later this summer.