Finding time to write can sometimes be challenging, especially when life circumstances have to take priority over the writing. Susan Carol McCarthy spent three years researching for her critically acclaimed novel, A Place We Knew Well, due to the vast amount of classified information that had become declassified. Based in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, McCarthy's novel tells the story about how this historic event impacted the lives of ordinary citizens. She had just started the writing process for the book when she faced a series of unfortunate events, derailing the project for several years. McCarthy wasn't sure if she'd ever get back to writing, but she persevered and used her painful experiences to write a deeper, more meaningful story than originally intended.