Goodreads asked A.R. Simmons:

What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?

A.R. Simmons I struggled to find a real mystery in my life that could possibly be the basis of a suspenseful plot. Finally, I settled upon a mysterious occurrence that almost prevented my life from even being, but was the reason for it being. It happened at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Chicago during World War II. My father, a farm boy from these Ozark hills, was one of the "Greatest Generation." He enlisted to serve his country.
He was training as a submariner when a contagion of some kind swept the base. This was before the common use of antibiotics and antivirals. The latest medical treatment was the administration of sulfa drugs. My father was one of the statistically insignificant group that was allergic to them. He suffered a severe reaction. Then, for some unknown reason, he and three other men who had the same reaction were given a second dose of sulfadiazine. He survived, but barely. Although covered with blisters that looked life cigarette burns, he never sought nor would consider asking for compensation for this incident.
This took him out of action for the next fourteen months. During his time in the hospital, a young German-American girl met him. He married my mother just as the war ended.

What do you think? Medical or spy thriller with a romantic twist?

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