Introduction

At All in the Edit, we are deeply honoured to champion authors who write with courage, honesty, and heart. This month, we shine the spotlight on Vicki Reid, a writer whose debut memoir, From Pain to Purpose—released January 28—offers a profoundly moving reflection on motherhood, grief, and love that does not end.

Written in the aftermath of unimaginable loss, Vicki’s work is tender, raw, and deeply human. Her writing does not seek to explain grief or soften it, but to sit with it—to give language to experiences so often met with silence. Through her words, Vicki keeps her son Cooper’s light shining, while offering connection and understanding to others navigating life after loss.

About the Author

For as long as she can remember, Vicki Reid wanted to work with young children. From declaring her future as a kindergarten teacher at just four years old to later stepping into advocacy and leadership roles, her career has always been guided by a single question: How can I make a difference?

Vicki’s professional life centred on supporting children with additional needs, empowering educators, and helping families and communities thrive. In 2024, her world shifted irrevocably with the sudden and heartbreaking loss of her eldest son, Cooper, at just 25 years old. She stepped away from her career to be with her family, to honour Cooper’s life, and to find a way forward through profound grief.

What emerged during this time was a rediscovery of an old love—writing. Once a childhood passion that had quietly faded, writing became a lifeline. A way to process grief. A way to remain connected. A way to give words to experiences that often feel impossible to articulate. While Vicki may still feel hesitant calling herself an author, her work speaks with clarity, compassion, and purpose.

Author Fact File

Name: Vicki Reid
Genre: Memoir, Non-fiction
Books: From Pain to Purpose (memoir)
Website: https://www.littlebrownbird.com.au/
Instagram: @littlebrownbird_

About the Book – From Pain to Purpose

Genre: Memoir

Services Provided by All in the Edit:
Line Editing, Copy Editing, Interior Book Design and Formatting, Full Cover Design, and Publishing Assistance

Blurb:
From Pain to Purpose is a deeply honest memoir of a mother surviving the unimaginable—the sudden loss of her son, Cooper.

Written with a grief-brain in mind, Vicki gently guides readers through the shock of early grief, the fog that follows, and the long process of learning to live in a world forever changed. She writes openly about trauma, silence, and the small moments of connection that remind us love does not end.

This is not a story about “moving on,” but about learning to live with grief.

A love story.
A survival story.
For every parent carrying a broken heart—and for Cooper, forever 25.

Release Date: January 28, 2026
Find it on Amazon

Fun Stuff

Five Faves

• Favourite Book: A Proper Little Lady

• Favourite Author: Mem Fox (previously Jodi Picoult)

• Favourite TV Show/Movie: Back to the Future

• Favourite Place: Phillip Island

• Favourite Ice Cream Flavour: Blue Heaven

3 Fun Facts

• Every “this or that” choice is both—indecisive or diverse, depending on the day.

• In Grade 6, Vicki created a school magazine—collecting stories, editing pages, and sharing words long before she imagined becoming an author.

• Blue Heaven ice cream was her pregnancy craving with Cooper and remains deeply meaningful.

1. Why do you write?

This memoir was written by accident. I had no intention of sharing my story. Writing began quietly, almost without permission, and then it took hold. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I wrote for ten to fifteen hours a day, driven not by a plan, but by an urgency to put words around what grief had dismantled.

At the time, my focus was firmly on writing for children. That was the space I knew — the language, the tone, the gentleness required to help young minds make sense of big feelings. A memoir was never part of the plan.

What changed everything was a conversation with a friend. Within days, two of her close friends had each lost a nephew. Watching them struggle to understand grief — and how to support the parents left behind — she said to me, “I need your book. I need something I can give them to help them understand what grief really looks like.”

That moment gave the writing a purpose beyond myself.

What began as a private attempt to survive became something more — a way to explore the things rarely said out loud, the realities of grief that are often misunderstood, and the long, uneven path through loss. Writing became a way to make sense of the pain, but also a way to reach outward, to offer understanding, language, and connection.

I write because sometimes stories arrive without warning.

2. What is your writing process?

Moments kept presenting themselves, each one asking to be written. Ideas would surface unexpectedly — a thought, a feeling, a memory — and I would need to capture them immediately, scribbling hurried notes on the back pages of my journal so they wouldn’t be lost.

I began writing in pencil while in hospital for knee reconstruction surgery. From there, the writing became relentless. There was no pausing, no careful planning, only an urgent need to keep going. The words arrived faster than I could organise them, and I followed where they led.

Only after the writing was finished did structure begin to emerge. I returned to the pages, reordering chapters, reshaping sections, and adding others. There was no clear direction at the outset. Instead, the book seemed to assemble itself — piece by piece — until, somehow, it found its own form.

3. Who is your biggest inspiration?

Every mother who has lost a child and continues to keep going inspires me. It is an impossible journey — one that reshapes every part of life. There is no greater challenge than learning how to exist in a world after the loss of a child. Their courage, often quiet and unseen, is what inspires me most.

4. What do you want your readers to know about your book?

This is not a how-to guide, and it does not offer answers. It is simply my story — how I have experienced grief and how it has shaped the way I see the world.

This book offers recognition and shared understanding to mothers who have lost a child and feel isolated or lost, and insight for the friends who want to support them but don’t always know how.

It speaks to husbands trying to make sense of their wife’s grief, and of how loss can change someone beyond recognition.

And perhaps it helps children understand why it can feel as though they have lost not only a sibling, but their parents too — even though their parents are still there, doing the best they can.

5. What is coming next for you?

Do You Look at the Sky? is my children’s picture book, and alongside From Pain to Purpose, it will be released at a similar time. While these two books sit in very different spaces, they are deeply connected by a shared intention: to offer language where it is often missing.

I have also written two additional children’s books, which I will be returning to in early 2026. Both are complete in draft form and now require careful polishing before the next stage of their journey.

I feel deeply humbled to be contributing resources to a space where there are still significant gaps — where grief, loss, and hard conversations are often met with awkward language or silence. My hope is to continue creating stories that offer clearer, kinder ways of speaking about experiences that are part of being human, but are rarely given the words they deserve.

Connect with Vicki

Website: https://www.littlebrownbird.com.au/

Instagram: @littlebrownbird_

Final Thoughts

Vicki Reid’s writing is quiet, powerful, and deeply necessary. From Pain to Purpose is not only a memoir of grief, but a testament to love, connection, and the courage it takes to keep going when life is forever changed.

We are honoured to support Vicki as she shares her story and keeps Cooper’s light shining.

Follow Vicki on Instagram to stay connected, and don’t miss From Pain to Purpose, available now.