Virginia A. Simpson, PhD. is a bereavement care specialist and author of the multi-award-winning memoir The Space Between: A Memoir of Mother-Daughter Love at the End of Life (2016). She is the Executive Counseling Director for hundreds of funeral homes throughout North America, and founder of The Mourning Star Center for grieving children and their families. She holds a Fellowship in Thanatology (FT-Ret.) from the Association of Death Education & Counseling (ADEC). Simpson has appeared on numerous television and radio programs. She lives in California with her husband Bob and golden retriever Shelby.