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d.d. marx is an author, blogger and inspired writer for the chick-lit genre. She is a Second City graduate, hopeless romantic, amazingly proud Aunt, a forever friend and life lover.
d.d. marx came barreling into this world with the “gift of gab”. Her parents quickly identified a pattern forming when each teacher conference contained the words “she’s a little too social”. d.d.’s biggest life concern was identifying which boy she’d be chasing at recess rather than mastering math problems. She parlayed this gift into creating play dates on the playground. If friendship were a business, she would be a millionaire. She prides her life on maintaining friends from every walk of life in every corner of the country. This is the fuel that fills her tank.
Graduating with a Communication degree from the University of Dayton, she attempted to break into the world of Public Relations but was instead side-tracked with a J.O.B. At the strong encouragement of her friends and family, who dubbed her a “funny story teller”, she stretched her comfort zone by entering the Second City program in Chicago where her itch for entertainment was finally scratched. Determined to share her story and create a legacy, she decided to combine these talents and become a writer. She returned to her alma-mater to immerse herself in a 3-day writing course where this dream finally came to life. Asked to imagine if she was a super-hero, her task was to dig-deep to describe her special powers. Based on the real-life tragedy of one of her best friends, that answer came without hesitation. All she’s ever wanted was the power to visit with him one last time. This is the inspiration that catapulted her into her debut project titled, the Beyond Series. She dove into a world imagining that he never left.
Reviewed by Jessyca Garcia for Readers' Favorite
Beyond Believing: An Inspiring Story to Awaken the Heart by D.D. Marx follows the life of two people, Olivia Henry and Finn McDaniels. Both characters face the loss of a loved one. Olivia loses her best friend Dan, and Finn loses his wife. Unbeknownst to them, these losses are connected and put them on the path to each other.
At first I thought that Beyond Believing was going to be a book about finding love. It is actually a book about friendship and love. Marx’s characters are very likeable. The friends that Olivia has are truly amazing. They stick together and are always there for each other through the years. I wish I had just one friend like that. The death of Olivia's best friend Dan was heartbreaking, but knowing he still gave her signs, like playing Small Town on the radio, was refreshing. It made me wish that I would receive signs from my lost loved ones. I liked that Marx’s characters have very different personalities. Olivia has a sense of humor that shines through even the darkest moments in the book. Finn is more serious but has a heart of gold. It was almost as if someone else was writing Finn’s character because his personality was so different. The way that Finn and Olivia finally meet is hilarious. I was glad that this was not the type of story where they are constantly missing each other. The way they met was natural, almost like it is in life.
Marx says that Beyond Believing is a “love letter to friendship”, and that is exactly what it is. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read romance and anyone who has ever lost a loved one. I will now begin looking for any signs from my lost loved ones to know that they are still here with me. Personally, I am coming back as a butterfly.
