The GNARA Girl

Welcome to the wonderful world of The Gnara Girl (a novel formerly known as The Cracker Jack Girl)-in this document, it begins with the Prologue on page 27; feel free to jump to the novel's beginning. The Gnara Girl, as we shall see, tells the story of Lynsey Ann Gerardi, age 87, an enduring Catholic, and her pals, family, and employees-all quite real people, during the first months of COVID-19. Talk a moment with Lynsey Ann and she will reluctantly admit to being "well to do," to having a food shopper and chef, an on-call driver when she goes out, and three happy and beaming cleaning ladies, Squad Two, available anytime she wishes, but she's quick to point out she owns the house cleaning company she uses. In fact, she owns several businesses of her own creation-small businesses-and will patiently explain the main one, Jitterbug Inc., is not a good-time dancehall, but is a simple service that provides safe, professional and reasonably-priced companions, or sitters, for elderly clients who want to stay in their own homes and avoid a nursing facility in their last days. Now it's her turn. Please understand, Lynsey is dying-well, we all are. And, of course, she is not dying right now, not today. Not of COVID. But she senses the triumphant time is at hand and she has debts to pay, some business to take care of before she exits this planet.