Creating a story by writing a novel has untold benefits not only to the writer, but to family, and communities of friends and associates. ‘Mariah is Missing’ is my debut novel and regardless of its commercial acceptance, it has been as rewarding as anything I have done.

Research is a surprising benefit not often mentioned. ‘Mariah is Missing’ is set in 1970s Montana, and the comparison between our current issues and those of fifty years ago is
eerie.

(1) Richard Nixon resigned as President.
Donald Trump hasn’t accepted the 2020 election.
(2) The Viet Nam Conflict ended in 1975. The USA left Afghanistan in 2021.
(3) MLK aftermath carried over from 1968. George Floyd’s death stirred the masses.
(4) NOW gained recognition. #MeToo gathered strength
(5) Our Cold War with Russia. China’s flexing its muscle.
(6) The HIV epidemic was coming. Covid has changed our world.
(7) Nuclear Winter was the climate issue. Global warming dominates the headlines.
(8) Roe VS. Wade was decided in 1973. The decision is being challenged today.

Events play out in cycles and are repeated over and over.Do we continue to make the same mistakes or is human nature such that we are bound to wash, rinse, and repeat? Of do we with
compassion and a sense of humor solve problems.

I’d love to hear from you.

David Henry Nelson, author of ‘Mariah is Missing.