| Sandra White |
| Riches to Rags by Sandra White Riches to Rags is the story of a mentally ill street person—Dr. Merritt Hall- Davis, known on the street as "Molly." Merritt is born into a wealthy family, and for a while is a successful physician, as well as a happy wife and mother. But outbursts stemming from her mental illness destroy her career and her family. Her estranged husband and daughter are killed in a car accident, preceded by the death of her parents, events that plunge her further into the depths of her illness. Merritt’s mental illness is characterized by voices that torment her mercilessly, asleep or awake, and drastic mood swings. Symptoms first appear when she is a young woman in college and reoccur intermittently during the remainder of her life. Although she receives treatment for her mental condition, she eventually runs away from her sorrows and finds herself on the streets of Valeria, a fictitious city in Indiana. There she spends fifteen years of her life. Molly finds friends among the other street people, ranging from "Old Johnny," who becomes her protector, to Petey, a fifteen-year-old runaway. Most of the story deals with Molly while she is in Valeria, but on two different occasions, she finds herself lost in totally unfamiliar surroundings, away from the city. During Molly’s years on the street, she suffers from hunger, exposure, derision, and brutality. Riches to Rags covers a wide array of human emotions. It is a love story and a tragedy; it is a tale of hope and hopelessness; and it is a story of great courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. |
| Sandra White has had a lifetime interest in writing, and at one time was a journalist with The Midland Daily News in Midland, Michigan. She later entered the training and development field and spent most of her career life in that arena. After her retirement, she resumed writing and has spent the past few years working on articles for magazines, as well as fiction. Her first novel, The Album, was published by The Fiction Works in 2003. Her second novel, Riches to Rags, was released in the summer of 2008 by Mirror Publishing. A lifetime resident of the Midwest, Ms. White is interested in writing about the history and surroundings of those states; both her novels are set in the Midwest. She likes to write about outstanding persons, including some of her own family members, nostalgia, and social issues. She has been published nationally in Chicken Soup for the Sister’s Soul, and in regional publications, such as Today’s Woman and The Ozarks Mountaineer. Capper’s Magazine published one of her novellas in September and October, 2004, one in November and December, 2006, and another in January and February, 2009. Ms. White currently resides in Springfield, Missouri. |