Seeking Closure and "Finding Fisher"

By Colleen Walsh Fong

“When you lose someone close to you unexpectedly, and at a very young age . . . you experience all kinds of emotions. And even when people are in the midst of grief, they are still alive and have to keep on living. And sometimes that results in feeling guilty. Are you supposed to still laugh, have fun, go on with your life, when someone close to you has died?”

USA TODAY Best-selling author Karen Mueller Bryson said this when explaining the premise of her new book, inspired by the life of late Peachtree Corners resident, Josh Nicholson. The book will be released on March 2, 2015 and is sure to resonate with the Peachtree Corners community, who still reel from his untimely, accidental death in December.

Joshua Scott Nicholson was born and raised in Peachtree Corners. He attended preschool, our local public schools, and participated in several sports and community activities. Many remember him as the handsome blonde lifeguard at area swim and tennis clubs who found a permanent home in our hearts.

Josh earned a degree in Communications from Kennesaw State University. After graduation he provided professional consulting services to businesses in his field of study, but was also a talented competitive cheerleader and tumbler on the national scene. And not surprisingly to those who knew him, his movie-star handsomeness made him a sought-after model. Josh was active in the Midtown, Atlanta community where he lived.

His parents, Ray and Linda Nicholson, and many friends were crushed by the news of his death. Hundreds paid tribute at his memorial service in December. And now author Karen Mueller Bryson gives us a way to remember him with her new book, “Finding Fisher.”

Josh’s picture will appear on the cover and a dedication by his parents will be in the book. A portion of the profits from the cover and book sales will be donated to Joining Hearts, Inc., a 501(c)(3), an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to providing housing support to people living with HIV and AIDS in Atlanta, in Josh’s memory. Josh’s parents chose the charity because they felt, given his involvement, it would be one he’d want supported.

Karen Mueller Bryson writes in the young adult category under her given name. She also writes contemporary romance novels under several pen names, including Dakota Madison, who is the author of record for “Finding Fisher.” Bryson explains how the book came about.

“Photography by Eric McKinney posted a photo of Josh on Facebook and shared the news that Josh had passed away. When I saw the post, it really touched me. Josh was so young and seemed so full of life. And his life was just getting started when it ended so tragically. I’ve had to deal with a lot of loss in my own life, and I immediately thought of Josh’s parents and what they must be going through. I wanted to do something special in Josh’s memory.

“When Eric and I started corresponding, I felt like writing a book in Josh’s memory and donating a portion of the profits to a charity for Josh was the thing to do.”

Those of us who knew and loved the spark of beautiful electricity that was Josh appreciate her generosity. It provides us a way to give in Josh’s honor, and leaves us with something concrete we can remember him by.

“Finding Fisher” by Dakota Madison, will be available March 2nd from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo and Smashwords as an ebook and a paperback. Here’s a little bit about the book in the author’s own words:

“This book is an exploration of loss and grief, but there are also several twists. Chloe, the main character is getting ready to graduate college and go to law school when her fiancé, Franklin, dies over Spring Break. When she goes to New Jersey to find out what happened, she discovers he was hiding a secret life from her, including a twin brother, Fisher.”

I’m hooked! And I’m looking forward to purchasing my copy with our beautiful Josh on the cover.

Thanks to Eric McKinney of Photography by Eric McKinney for providing information for this post.