Once upon a time, what feels like a lifetime ago, I managed & maintained a genealogical-based blog that led to writing and publishing several of my works of fiction, including self-publishing my first novel, The Children’s Field, in September of 2019. After a few months pause to breathe & regroup my thoughts, I felt ready to turn my focus to my second novel, with plans to complete a rough draft, edit and publish it in March 2021. That all came to a screeching halt Memorial Day weekend 2020, when, between trips to the hardware store and  planting a vegetable garden, my father called with the news that shattered my reality.