Hi Rose! I have no idea if you're still active here since your last activity was a while ago, but I thought I'd write to you and tell you that I read both your To What Was Ours stories over one weekend and was DESTROYED by them. (And then the last chapter properly re-destroyed me.) I really don't know how I ended up reading them, but once I started reading, I honestly couldn't stop. I know you said you feel a little weird about fanfiction (I do, too, the older I've gotten,) but I think your genre choice really worked for the story. I downloaded the stories to my Kindle to read them (thank you for that by the way) and it really felt like reading a true published story. I feel a little bit like how I did after I watched the movie Arrival, which is that it's a great story that I kind of wish I'd never found because it messed with my head and my emotions so much. But I'm really glad I found the story. I think the past few years have felt like a mourning period for a lot of people. Your story really fit the time period, especially with the final message… as the quote goes, "Life goes on within you and without you." Sometimes it feels impossible to keep going, and yet, we do. I've gone back to the stories several times already and I just started another total reread.
Out of curiosity, have you read Joan Didion's book The Year of Magical Thinking? I just began reading it and so much of what she's saying is like what you wrote in the story.
Thank you for your dedication. I'm looking forward to reading more of what you write.
