How do you assess the life of individuals? They build great things; perform heroic acts; create beauty; or they influence the lives of others in small, everyday ways. This novella, After Clouds, Sunshine, highlights the latter. It weaves through the life of one such person, Grace Evelyn Loucks. A descendant of United Empire Loyalists—Grace comes from hardy stock, and lives in the quiet village of Aultsville. When life dishes up a series of disruptions, it forces her into a radically different existence.

After Clouds, Sunshine captures the life lessons of this courageous woman. She builds resilience to absorb the challenges set on her path. How can we compare her journey, to one set in modern times, where individuals, severed from the depth of human connections so necessary for prior generations, struggle with different obstacles: those of loneliness, searching for purpose, and feelings of inadequacy?

Based on true events, the author imagines one version of how their lives unfolded, weaving in elements of social history to bring the story to life.