Coming November 1

My next book was supposed to be What Time Is It?, a children's book about the role electronic devices plays in our culture. It's almost done, but I've put it on hold to work on a book I feel is more urgent for today. With the shutdowns all over the world, travel plans cancelled, church and bagpiping gone virtual, all I could do was write. This book is not a children's book, nor does it play a role that the Chicken Soup books play. No, this one went to where the mind did as I tried making sense of 2020.

I am retired, and I thought I had been through it all and was steering my new life the way I wanted it to go. That was all well and good until COVID-19 struck, along with the #BlackLivesMatter movement, natural disasters, and a crazy election filled with falsehoods and meanness. We are divided now, and isolated. I had a lot to process. As a matter of fact, I'm still writing about it for my next book called Emerging Shorts.

I have learned a lot during this time away. For some reason, virtual divides seem to grant people to respond in ways they would never do in person. Also, I miss seeing so many people. From what I saw across social media, we're all going through a lot, and all have found new coping mechanisms, some healthy, some not. I know that in spite of the fact we are apart, we are not alone. It's time to share our thoughts and reflections in a way that promotes a better world for all of us. When life changed last winter, I took to writing. So much was happening, and I could only take each day at a time, writing about whatever was happening on that day. Those little writings became Isolation Shorts. It is available for pre-order right now on Amazon. Click here for more information.

I chose November 1st as the released date for my book because this was my mother's birthday. Mom was born on All Saint's Day, which was so fitting. I found a lot of Mom when cleaning things out, and she's been heavy on my mind. Mom was very spiritual, and when we made mistakes, she had us reflect on our actions and how they affected others. Then we had to change our ways. Every night she came in to hear our prayers. Every "short" begins with a quote or verse, and after a little chat, ends with a reflection, response, and prayer.

There will be a space on my Facebook Author Page (Nancy Nason Guss, Author) for responses. It is important that we all interact to grow in spirit.