Reflections and stories about alignment, resilience, and the messy beauty of being human.

The river doesn’t forget…

Officer Andrew Foster has seen his share of troubled souls, but when a young college student goes missing in Harper’s Crossing, something about this case gnaws at him. The town’s quiet, its secrets buried beneath layers of time and mist—but Andrew can’t shake the feeling that the river knows more than it lets on.

Haunted by the death of his brother, Andrew struggles with the weight of his own regrets. As he delves deeper into Daniel’s disappearance, the search becomes less about finding the missing boy and more about confronting the parts of himself he’s tried to bury. The river, cold and unyielding, mirrors his search for redemption—a force that both beckons and warns.

In The Search Party, a gripping mystery unfolds alongside an emotional journey into guilt, obsession, and the shadowy depths of the past.

5.0 out of 5 stars 

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2025

I loved, loved, LOVED this book! The descriptive words helped my ADHD mind build a perfect picture of what was happening as I was reading! I also felt like each chapter ended in the perfect way that left me wanting more and I simply couldn’t put this book down! I read it in two days and that’s only because life got in the way. I absolutely could have finished this in one sitting!

5.0 out of 5 stars 

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2025

This book pulled me in from page 1. I believe at some point in our lives we’ve all been Andrew - endlessly searching. Bravo, Kirk!

We've all fallen off a stool—metaphorically speaking. Some of us have done it literally.

Kirk Sheppard has done both, repeatedly. In this collection of fifty-two stories, he explores what happens when life knocks us off our perches and discovers that the opposite of humility isn't confidence—it's certainty.

From getting rejected twice from counseling school (then earning two degrees anyway) to calling his mother at forty-two for financial help, from watching lightning destroy a teacher's only way home to being inducted into a wrestling Hall of Fame for failing gracefully, Sheppard discovers that our most humbling moments often become our best teachers.

With the insight of a therapist and the self-deprecating humor of someone who still doesn't know what a cultivator does despite driving one for years, Broken Stools offers weekly reflections on becoming "right-sized" in the world—neither too big nor too small, but exactly who we are.

Inside you'll find:

• 52 weekly stories about falling down and getting back up

• Reflection questions to recognize humility in your own life

• Simple practices that turn cringe-worthy moments into growth

• The comfort of knowing someone else has failed spectacularly too

This isn't about perfection or false modesty. It's about the radical act of admitting we don't have it all figured out—and discovering that's exactly where wisdom begins.

Perfect for readers who:

• Appreciate humor mixed with hard-won wisdom

• Want bite-sized chapters they can read in one sitting

• Are tired of self-help books that pretend life is tidy

• Need permission to be imperfect

If you've ever felt like you're the only one who doesn't have it together, this book is for you.

Soul Audit: A Not-So-Perfect, Broadly Spiritual (Or Not) Guide to Aligning Your Life is a funny, honest, and deeply human exploration of what it means to live in alignment with your soul—even when life is messy, imperfect, and not at all what you expected.

Blending storytelling, therapeutic insight, and humor, licensed therapist and writer Kirk Sheppard invites readers to stop chasing perfection and start paying attention to the real signs of growth: less hiding, fewer emotional spirals, and more moments of quiet joy. With warmth and irreverence, he walks alongside readers through the messy middle of adulthood, offering reflections on identity, shame, grief, time, spirituality, friendship, the body, and work.

Through relatable client stories (fictionalized for confidentiality), personal anecdotes, and practical soul audit exercises, Sheppard shows that alignment isn’t about becoming a polished, idealized version of yourself—it’s about building a life that feels like your own. One honest choice at a time.

Written for anyone who has ever felt out of step with their own life, Soul Audit is an invitation to get curious about where you’re living out of alignment—and to start making small, realigned choices without judgment or perfectionism. It's not a manual for self-optimization. It’s a reminder that authenticity matters more than image, and that living well is less about being impressive and more about being present.

Whether you’re wrestling with anger, rebuilding your relationship with your body, grieving what could have been, or rediscovering joy in unexpected places, this book offers a compassionate, funny, and practical guide to coming home to yourself—probably.

For fans of Brené Brown, Glennon Doyle, and Mel Robbins and anyone who prefers their self-help with a side of humor, Soul Audit is a new kind of roadmap: imperfect, practical, and fiercely kind.