Marcy A. Smalley, a retired urban planner, is a writer and musician. Her writing has appeared in The Sun and other publications. She edited Threshold – A Life’s Journey to Prairie, by Elaine Jones, Blurb Press, 2024. Her musical scores have been performed locally. As an urban planner she assisted in the development of the metropolitan transit plan and the RideKC Streetcar. She and her husband Barrie (a Habitat for Humanity volunteer) live in the Kansas City area near their children and grandchildren. This is her first book.