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Many of you know I've been working on a new historical fiction series for some time now. I've mentioned that it's an emotional event in history and a difficult story to piece together, and that I pick away at my third and final Taylor Davis book for comic relief when I get overwhelmed. All true. But I haven't been totally forthright with the reasons for my super slow progress.
Last October, my then-14-year-old son Taylor was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks the bowel, and this winter and spring have been a rollercoaster ride. When Taylor didn't respond to first-line meds, the gastroenterologist wanted to put him on stronger meds called biologics that interfere with the body's immune response. But biologics cause cancer in 6 of 10,000 people, so we opted for a dietary approach. Our GI gave us no options and no encouragement in this direction, so we struck out on our own, trying a whole foods vegan diet. It didn't work. With Taylor getting sicker and the GI putting the pressure on, someone told us about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. It eliminates most dairy, all processed foods, and certain complex carbs that an inflamed bowel has trouble digesting (which leaves those undigested sugars in the bowel to feed harmful bacteria). That was six weeks ago. Last week, his bloodwork had improved dramatically. So much so that the GI took notice. (I found out she DID know about this diet but didn't bother to tell me. I hope Taylor's turnaround will inspire her to take it more seriously and share it with others, especially when they ask!)
Needless to say, I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen finding recipes, sourcing weird ingredients and antibiotic-free meats, and cooking EVERYTHING from scratch. Like a consistent 10 hours a day some weeks. Quarantine, which continues in Michigan even now, has only cramped my schedule more, as all three kids and hubby are home around the clock. I've hardly even gotten a start on my summer bike miles! This is the true reason I've made so little progress writing.
On the bright side, I can brainstorm while I cook and have worked out all the bugs in my historical outline. And adjusting to this new diet is getting easier. Most importantly, Taylor is doing very well. I'm hoping that once my garden is in, quarantine lifts, and life gets back to normal, I'll be able to find some solid writing time again. Sigh. It sounds like a fantasy right now.
Now a quick mention of the book highlighted above. Betrayal, the second book in my distopian series, is on sale for .99 this week. (Click the cover image for all vendor links.) Call it a celebration of Taylor's health, if you will. Book one, Recompense, is always free.
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