Acts of Kindness from Authors Who Care

Writers can wordsmith just about anything, but a pandemic? That posed a challenge, if not a full-on screeching of keyboard strokes. In dumbstruck horror, many of us watched in disbelief as the country shut down—literally. Businesses, schools, libraries, bookstores, restaurants, bars, sports arenas, churches, and beaches were closed.
What? Was the world ending? What were we supposed to do? You’d think with months of unexpected time on our hands, authors would jump at the chance of having seemingly unending hours of writing time.
But not so fast.
In addition to the utter shock of now-familiar terms such as COVID-19, Coronavirus, social distancing, pandemic, and flattening the curve, many of us worked in healthcare or had family members in healthcare—or other essential companies—and were worried about exposure to COVID-19. Everyone had to learn how to navigate around this invisible, sneaky virus.
Many of us have parents or grandparents in nursing homes and were, sadly, unable to visit except for strange, albeit loving, window visits, holding signs and blowing kisses. Meanwhile, younger parents were thrust into the role of teacher for months on end. I assume many had knots in their stomach at the thought of teaching Common Core math, not to mention the fact that kids didn’t understand why parents were suddenly home all day, wearing masks, and constantly squirting antibacterial gel into their tiny hands.
Regular schedules were a thing of the past. Zoom meetings were discovered. I’m betting even most pets were annoyed their space was suddenly invaded daily by their humans. Children couldn’t attend gym, sports, or dance classes. Playgrounds were roped off like crime scenes. Many 2020 high school and college graduates missed commencement ceremonies, alongside high school proms and balls. It was almost too much to comprehend.
Some of us thought the end was upon us. I mean, there was a toilet paper shortage! Who would have thought?
It seemed as though the world had been shaken like a snow globe. We all did our best to absorb the medical information and recommendations. After wringing our hands, drinking too much wine, eating too many carbs and experiencing the quarantine 15 (similar to the freshman 15 every college student gains), many authors decided enough was enough and got busy.
In this special feature, you’ll read about twelve authors with heart, who gave back to their communities during these trying times. Pandemic projects included food donations, a cookbook for charity, handmade masks, hand sanitizer donations, lunch boxes for students, book donations, and more. Let’s get to know these inspiring authors.

Read the entire article in the July/August 2020 issue of InD'Tale magazine.

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