I just finished reading So Big by Edna Ferber, an author whose work I may never had read had I not discovered a “Grandparent Book” in my mother’s belongings after she died in 2019. As a result, not only have I been exposed to an enjoyable novel by a talented writer, but I also feel more connected to my mother even after her death. It’s as if she has posthumously given me a gift.

About 15 years ago I had a conversation with a newly-published debut author who described his path from the first inkling of an idea to publication of his novel which he described as a seven-year process.