When I traced my family tree back hundreds of years and uncovered roots that were white, black, Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish, the seed of a story began to grow. My debut novel, Failed Moments, is a fictional account of the exploits of my ancestors during racially charged periods in the past. Specifically, the French Cafribbean in 1790 just before the slave revolution that created Haiti, and 1863 New York City during the draft riots.