This spring, when my wife suggested that I spent some of the pandemic in a useful exercise by writing short stories, I decided to write a short story set in the fall of 2020, based on what how a young woman would spend her $1,200 government stimulus checks. As I imagined her backstory, a family emerged. I decided to write a series of stories about this family, the Tilley-Blandin’s, set against the backdrop of a country facing several crises on the cusp of the Presidential election. The stories just emerged out of me.

To help readers navigate this series, here is a chronological listing of the stories:

Silver and Her Stimulus Check (May 29, 2020)

Louis Guidry Prevents Death by Nugent (June 3, 2020)

The Secrets of Miss Olympia Tilley-Blandin (June 12, 2020)

Hopper’s 15 Minutes of Peace Amid the Pandemic (June 17, 2020)

Ingrid and Hopper Seek Counseling on Zoom (June 21, 2020)

Ingrid Wept (June 24, 2020)

The Life of Huey Newton Wallace Matters, or What Really Happened on the Fourth of July 2020 (June 26, 2020)