When I first began this project, I knew I wanted to publish it under a name that carried as much meaning as the work itself. I played around with different ideas, but nothing felt right. Then one day, it came to me.

I often receive messages and confirmations from my great-grandma, Audrey, at 9:06 a.m. or p.m. It happens often enough that I knew I wanted to weave it into this work somehow. After a few variations, I landed on Six Past Nine Books. The moment I said it out loud, I felt it in both my heart and my gut that it was the right choice. It just fit, and I knew it was a name my great-grandma would be proud of.

Why does she show up at 9:06? Aside from it being my birthday, September 6th (yes, I’m a proud Virgo), it also connects to my great-grandpa, Harold, Audrey’s husband. He played the lottery religiously, always using 9 0 6 as some of his numbers. I remember staying the night at their house and having to stop whatever we were doing to watch the lottery drawing. He passed when I was in elementary school, but those moments are still some of my favorite memories of him.

Six Past Nine Books is a way to honor them and thank them both for the memories that helped shape my childhood and for the ways they still make their presence known today.