Trant-Parency ... Goodbye Dear Friend

I don't want to be writing this post. I've even toyed with taking a break from writing entirely. A good friend of mine passed away this week and the same day he passed, I was asked to do a book blog tour for a memoir about loss. I don't feel strong enough to take on the tour and I certainly don't feel strong enough to tell you about the man and mentor who is no longer here. And yet, here I am. I'm putting one foot in front of the other because that's exactly what he did. And now, I want to tell you a little bit about an important man named Eric Trant.

If I had to chose one word to describe Eric, the word would be TRANSPARENT (which is where the title of this post comes from). I've had the pleasure of helping Eric promote his three novels which means we've had many laughs and interviews together. We were so kindred, we went on and became connected via social media. In our interview for Steps, Eric admitted the first story he ever submitted was to Playboy. Any question I asked, he answered. He answered the tough questions about family, time management, the death of his son, future writing plans, and even shared some sound advice about co-parenting through divorce. During his tour of Risen, he said he and his wife Amanda had come out stronger after weathering the storm that was his ex-wife. He was an open book. One of his favorite quotes was:

It's only impossible 

until someone does it. 

He shared that quote with me during our very first interview with his debut novel, Wink. Neither of
us could have imagined what the future would hold. His youngest child, Finn, was still a bump in Amanda's belly as was our little Breccan. We went on to add a D and E to our alphabet family. Whether it was our children's name choices, our love of writing, or our passion for reading and promoting authors, something brought us together on a regular basis. Eric recently reminded me not to toss knives in the sink. It's a silly thing, but he would tag his wife, Amanda, and myself on social media and give us little tidbits of information. Usually a few laughs and comments would be exchanged. The one thing that was clear in each and every communication, interview, etc...was Eric's love of life and his deep love and appreciation of his wife Amanda.

My heart breaks for Amanda right now and I can tell you we plan on continuing our friendship. It must seem impossible for her to go on - but she will - because it's only impossible until someone does it. She's got two special guys up in heaven who will be there cheering her on each step of the way. And while Eric and Dastan are cheering from their clouds, the rest of us can help if we are able or moved to do so, by contributing or sharing the GoFundMe created by Amanda and Eric's neighbors.

As for me - I'm going to go back and read those great interviews and allow Eric's advice to help me move forward. I'm going to take on that memoir. I'm going to keep helping authors, making friends, and promoting good books.

Thank you Eric for sharing so much. Thank you for being transparent. Thank you for your friendship and support. Thank you for introducing me to Amanda. See you on the other side dear friend!
~Crystal