After five previous attempts at finishing a novel, I landed on this idea a few years back. I combines my lifelong love for Audrey Hepburn and my current location just north of Silicon Valley’s tech industry. I knew almost nothing about artificial intelligence when I moved here in 2018 but became intrigued by articles about the future of AI, particularly communicating with deceased relatives. This article came out only recently.

I visited Stanford University’s Human Virtual Interaction Lab and got my first experience donning virtual reality headgear and that launched me into asking “what’s possible in the near future?” Lots of internet research lead me to what you’ll read in Second Act.

Back to Audrey. I read every available biography, watch every movie of hers I hadn’t yet seen, and watched every documentary and interview. It wasn’t at all arduous!

I started a notebook listing facets of her life I should focus on, including movies and her life experiences. The more I dug, the more I wrestled with what to include. I could fill another half book with deleted chapters, but revising is part of the process.

Anyway, that’s part of the backstory.