April 6, 2020

Dear Readers,

One theme in my upcoming novel, The Counterfeiter’s Daughter, is the importance of fellowship. I write on the subject from personal experience. I’ve led a life of independence and, in many seasons of my life, a solitary existence. More than ever it is a relevant subject during our current crisis of a pandemic. The truth is, there is a large population of lonely and isolated people in the world, living with this daily reality. Some are only recently struggling with depression and loneliness as directed to stay at home to flatten the curve. As soon as they drop the orders, many will go back to their regular lives of thriving in social scenarios and gathering in fellowship. Others that are suffering will remain alone, depressed, anxious and silent.

I challenge my readers that are in a temporary state of isolation to discover and reach out to someone suffering with loneliness within your family, work environment, neighborhood and community. Send them a handwritten note, text, call, message them on social media, and let them know you’re thinking of them. If possible, invite them over for a cup of tea, out for coffee or schedule a movie at the theater or your home, depending on their comfort levels. It is imperative to live outside of our “own little worlds”. Set down your phone once in a while, take a break from streaming and binge watching, acknowledge the people around you and have a face -to -face conversation with people.

My main character, Madelyn Brighton, wears a brave face. She is authentic and genuinely cares with a tender heart for people. Especially, neglected, abused, abandoned women and children. Madelyn has no family that she is aware of and although she lives in the overcrowded city of Orange County, California, she feels an emptiness, an unbearable loneliness that she keeps tucked away deep inside and buried behind protective, emotional walls she built for herself. It takes her to be forced into a situation beyond her control to experience heartfelt help, encouragement, and allow herself to partake in the beauty of true friendship along with the gift of gathering in fellowship.

Hopefully something in this blog has resonated with you and you’ll feel compelled to take action. Whether you are a social butterfly that is temporarily caged or are like Madelyn Brighton, living the daily hardship of an isolated life, I implore to take notice of how serious and detrimental loneliness has on mental, physical and spiritual health. If you’ve only now recognized how connected humanity is through our worldwide suffering, consider it a wake up call that we are in this together and we need each other. Please love well and generously.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my website and read my blog. If you enjoyed this post or would like to be kept updated with news about my books and exclusive content, please click on the subscribe button for my newsletter. Stay home and healthy. Take a deep breath, hug those you can at the moment, and be grateful for the gift of today.

Victoria x