In honour of this month’s Mental Health Awareness, I will share that this is one of the reasons that keeps me writing.

To Be True was written during a very low period for me, in an attempt to escape the unbearable sadness and despair that had wrapped itself around me.

My mother was terminally ill, and though she was warrior-like in her bravery, I was not. She passed away in October 2019.

Then the world shutdown because of Covid in March 2020, taking my little family and our livelihoods hostage along with it.

May 2021, well into the writing of To Be True our beloved old pup, Memphis, lost his battle against the seizures that had internally been battering away at him for almost a decade.

An already dark time in my life had just gone black.

Consumed by another profound loss, I knew that I needed to get back writing if I was to find my way through it.

I struggled forward, though it wasn’t the same without my furry ginger muse by my side.

One key stroke after another landed me back in the 1920’s, an easier, pandemic free time, continuing to build on characters who had my mother’s tenacity, and my sweet boy’s heart.

A universe filled with lightness and love took shape, where good would always triumph over evil.

Wink Pallas not only buoyed her niece Marion through her difficult and trying times, she kept me afloat too.

I truly feel thankful every day that I have found an outlet that not only feeds my soul, but enables me to better cope with the mental stressors that can sometimes be overwhelming.

May this month of May, bring us “More Good Days, Together”.