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"In February of 2018, the author's 21-year old daughter went out drinking with friends after work and on the way home struck and killed a 46-year old man on a motor scooter. ""The Occurrence"" tells the story of the next six years of one ordinary American family's life as they navigate the choppy waters of our legal and penal system, and is an honest, painful, angry, sad, and sometimes painfully funny exploration of the transition from one life to another. The guilt, shame, and moral injury of having unintentionally caused the death of another human being remains always, but there is some measure of hope and healing to be found in the grace, compassion, and support from others who are living through similar experiences. ""The Occurrence"" is a cry of anguish from the heart of a mother who desperately wants her story to prevent this from happening to anyone else, but with the sad knowledge that we seldom learn from the mistakes of others. A memoir of loss and grief, a cautionary tale, and a melancholy farewell to a past forever gone and a future that will never be, ""The Occurrence"" is a warning that no matter how safe, secure, and certain you feel in the trajectory of your life, it would only take an instant to bring you to your knees. But with love, faith, and courage you can move forward into a new normal. There is no sense in looking back, because we're not going that way."

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"Mary Kay Hamalainen is and has been a daughter, wife, mother, and friend. She graduated from Hofstra University in 1977 and began her working life as an editorial researcher, then theater administrator, before becoming a speech-language pathologist working with developmentally disabled children, adolescents, and young adults. Mary Kay has lived in Washington, D.C., the Philippines, Hawaii, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. She currently lives in north Texas with her husband and two cats, just three hours north of her daughter and two grandpugs. Mary Kay is on the Advisory Board of The Hyacinth Fellowship, an international peer support group for those who have unintentionally caused death or serious harm. ""The Occurrence"" is her first book."

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