A FORAY INTO FICTION

Nancy's novel-in-progress is a contemporary tale about a journalist-turned-activist in a time of devalued news. In echoes of works by Grace Paley and James Joyce, SUNSHINE GIRL follows the professional and personal trajectories of intrepid reporter Mina Breckenridge and third-generation newshound Eliza Dixon from the rain-soaked streets of Oregon to the Bay Area of California to the alpine tundra of Alaska over a 40-year span, from the newspaper industry’s “heyday” to its current “mayday." Along the way, Eliza’s mother Judith holds tight to an inescapable family secret, her editor father Martin embarks on a healing journey, and Eliza herself—with encouragement from a worldly-wise colleague and friend—stops running away from her past and starts walking toward her future, a journey that brings her back to her beloved Rose City. Also, there are leprechauns!