From Self-flagelation to Hope

It was cold in the house so Fiorella got one of her trademark trash fires going, added in some nice dry firewood, sat on the couch and stared at the flames, and, as is her wont, berated herself for every stupid thing she'd done in her life from as far back as she can remember--which was when she was four years old and handed her porcelain-headed baby doll--which had been her mother's and grandmother's before her--over to her little brother to hold while she opened the back door. He dropped the doll on purpose and it shattered into pieces. Mother didn't punish or admonish either of us. but Fio could tell she was crying in her heart.
     HOWEVER, not taking proper care of the baby doll--and several other things your girl has done purposefully or not--are in the past, and Fio must move forward--ever forward--if she is to save the nation and the world.
     Her current project, as you know, is gathering together everything she's ever written and either tossing it or preparing it for publication. Things have changed since the Big Six controlled the publishing world, and Fiorella wants to dip her toe in the fresh water. After all, according to the royalty reports of Hachette Group, which published her first two books, Fio's still selling, so maybe she has a chance.