Show Notes
Sudden loss splits a life into a before and an after. Shelley Anne Crawford's memoir My 3 Husbands: A True Story opens on the Monday afternoon the phone rang twice.
In this first episode of the My 3 Husbands Audiobook Podcast, Shelley reads Chapter 1, "Tied Together," and then sits down with her editor, Dr. Kent Gustavson, to talk about what she just read. The chapter finds her in the art room of her country house in Ireland, children painting around her, cookies cooling in the kitchen. She had built that life out of the wreckage of an earlier one, in a village far enough away that it felt like a place no pain could reach. The phone rings and she lets it go. She never answers on the first go. A minute later it rings again, and it is her daughter Jessica, calling from London. Kent reads the chapter back to her through its senses, the ringing, the silence, the sound of the ocean in her ears though she lives miles from the sea. Shelley talks about the tsunami dreams she has had for years, and about why the only word she could reach for was "gone." Then she says something harder. There were times she had wished he would go missing, or get hurt. Tune in to hear why Shelley believes there is beauty even here, and why, as she puts it, it is not like someone dies and then everything goes black. Content Warning: This episode discusses suicide, self-harm, and other sensitive topics that some listeners may find distressing. Please take care while listening. If you or someone you know is struggling: Samaritans (UK & Ireland): Call 116 123 Pieta (Ireland): Call 1800 247 247 Chapters: 📖 00:04 Shelley Anne Crawford introduces the memoir and a note before listening 🖌️ 00:50 The art room in Ireland, and a life rebuilt out of wreckage 📞 01:52 The phone rings twice, and the only word left is gone 🐚 03:04 The ocean in her ears, and years of tsunami dreams 🤲 06:49 The smell of oil paint, and the forgiveness running through the book 🪞 11:19 Admitting she once wished he would go missing, or get hurt 🌅 13:00 Why everything does not go black when someone dies Connect with Shelley: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyannecrawford2026/ Substack: https://shelleyannecrawford.substack.com/ Website: www.jessglobal.org
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