Rochester author wins Book of the Year Award

(ACB 6 News) — Rochester author Harriet Hodgson is receiving national recognition for her book Winning: A Story of Grief and Renewal.

On Thursday, ABC 6 News anchor Robin Wolfram sat down with Hodgson to discuss her new book and the inspiration behind writing it.

Hodgson, who began her writing career by authoring books on health and wellness, lost four family members throughout the course of 2007, and that experience was the driving force behind switching her focus toward the topic of grief. This latest edition is her 11th book on the topic.

“My daughter and father-in-law died the same weekend,” Hodgson said. “A few weeks later, my brother died, and finally in the fall, my twin grandchildren’s father died. So I switched from health and wellness to grief, and I never thought that I would write 11 books about it.”

Hodgson said that she began writing this book after her husband passed away in 2020. She hopes readers come away with tips on how to help themselves in the journey of grief, and there are some laughs to be found throughout the book as well.

Ultimately, though, Hodgson says that grief is something that never truly goes away, and she hopes that this book can help those on their own journeys.

“I don’t say recovery because you never recover. It’s always part of you,” Hodgson said.

Winning: A Story of Grief and Renewal can be found in bookstores or online markets, such as Amazon.