Meet Stephen L Randell
Some stories are written from imagination. Mine was written from experience — raw, real, and often painful. I never set out to become an author. I set out to survive what felt unsurvivable — and in doing so, I found a purpose that became bigger than my pain.
My name is Stephen L Randell. I am a father, a storyteller, and a man who lost his son to addiction.
When that happened, the life I thought I understood disappeared. I was left trying to figure out how to survive when it felt as if everything I knew and loved was now gone.
Writing became a way I could make sense of what I was carrying.
My mission became simple - to turn my own experience into something that could reach another parent who continues to walk one of life's most difficult roads - loving someone through active addiction.
Everything I do now stems from that place — to remind others that, even as you are forced to witness addiction unfairly steal all they once were, you are still allowed to find meaning, connection, and a reason to keep showing up for yourself and the ones you support.
When I’m not writing or speaking, you may find me somewhere around Newfoundland appreciating this beautiful province and, as a life-long musician, I still get to participate in some musical projects from time to time.
I live in Newfoundland, Canada, where the ocean’s waves and the rugged cliffs remind me daily of how fragile, ever-changing - and yet how beautiful, life can still be.
-SLR-