Novel Based On 9/11 Published By South Windsor Native

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — From her earliest school days growing up in South Windsor, Jennifer Farmer always wanted to be a writer. After seven years as a Stratford police officer, a stint in government security compliance at Sikorsky Aircraft and five years as a stay-at-home mom, she got the urge to resume her ambition; the result is a 357-page novel entitled "Blue Sky Gone," a story of two sisters based on real-life events surrounding the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America.

Set in the fictional Connecticut shoreline town of Greenport, the novel follows the life of Audrey, a recruit in the police academy in the year 2001, and her sister, Hannah, a young Wall Street hopeful who works in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. In the weeks leading up to the tragic attacks of 9/11, Hannah finds true love in New York City, while Audrey faces challenges in the police academy that put her grit and determination to the test. The attacks on 9/11 bring the sisters together in an unexpected way, one that ultimately comes down to life or death.

"I've been writing since I was 6 or 7; it was always a passion of mine my whole life," the 1994 South Windsor High School graduate said in an exclusive interview Wednesday with Patch. "It's always been a dream of mine to write a book, so I sat down and started working on my first novel."

Like the book's character Audrey, Farmer was enrolled in the police academy on Sept. 11, 2001.

"9/11 was such an awful thing for everyone, and with the 20th anniversary approaching, I didn't want people to forget," she said.

She began working on the book in 2019, but around the halfway point to completion, life changes forced her to put it on the back burner, nearly for good.

"We moved to Florida, then the pandemic hit," she recalled. "I had given up on the book and put it aside, then one day, I walked into my oldest daughter's room. She had found the half-written manuscript, and she insisted I finish it."

Farmer wanted to complete the project by the 20th anniversary of the attacks in 2021. Eschewing traditional publishing, she formed her own publishing company, Ancient City Press, and released the novel under the author name J.S. Farmer on Aug. 27, 2021.

Almost immediately, "Blue Sky Gone" became a hit, spending several months on Amazon's Top 100 New Release and Best Seller lists. It reached No. 3 in the New Releases, Women's Author category, and in October, the novel was accorded the Speak Up Talk Radio Firebird Book Award.

Portions of the proceeds from book sales are designated for two 9/11-related charities - the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and the Tunnels to Towers Foundation.

Several gratifying factors have accompanied Farmer's journey toward fulfilling her lifelong dream.

"First is the example I set for my daughters," she said. "They saw me detailed in the middle of this, and I picked myself up and finished it, showing them you can achieve your dreams if you work hard and persevere. The other is how many people bought or read this book on or around the anniversary. Hearing every day from people with their memories of 9/11, reading the book was healing for them. That's been incredibly rewarding, and is the reason I wrote the book.

Available in hardcover, paperback and ebook, "Blue Sky Gone" is available online at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com and Walmart.com. Farmer said she is interested in finding some local stores to carry signed copies.

The book may also be ordered through Farmer's website, jsfarmerauthor.com.