Nici Damon

An obviously fanciful woman of a certain age who, thinking life was getting short (and absorbed in her own story), called upon everything she ever felt or dreamed about to create a first novel. Probably from a very small town in the Midwest, raised in a family with a bi-polar mother, married young, then more than once or even twice, parent of at least one child, survivor of cancer and Hep C, and proficient at a couple of non-carnal passions like swing dancing and Hobie Cat sailing.

Her childhood bucket list, created before it was popular to have one, included graduating from college, finding Mr. Right, bringing up a child to whom she could be a better mother than hers was (none of which worked out so well); and traveling the world to visit the Ten Wonders. And writing a book that one stranger would be willing to buy (adjusted for inflation to twenty-five).

The book has taken a lifetime in hopes of a happy ending but, despite crossing off most of that original list, the older and wiser woman continues to add lots more. Perhaps knowing that once you cross off the very last entry, all that's left is The End.