Stories to give, stories to keep.
Why We Miss · Gift One
For the people who have been beside us all along.
Four Wayona Lan stories about the people nearest us, the memories they carry, and the moments we almost pass by.
What this book offers
This is a book for the reader who finds a whole life in a small exchange: a cup of tea, a familiar voice, a song remembered. Spend time with Wyona and the people around her as ordinary visits reveal how much there is still to know about one another.
Read it in a quiet hour, or share a passage with someone whose stories you love. The humor and tenderness leave room for your own memories, and for a conversation that carries on after the page.
Inside Gift One
Original stories, paintings throughout the book, and a page to write who it is for, who it is from, and the date you give it.
Select a painting to see it in full.
Who will you give it to?
For a parent, a grandparent, a sister, or the friend whose presence has become part of everyday life. A book to give with a name written inside and time set aside to share it.
For adult readers who enjoy stories of family and later life. Read the excerpt below to see whether this is the book for the person you have in mind.
A moment inside the book
An excerpt from The Ones Still Here by Sophi Garcia.
That morning, the house woke before she did.
The old floor gave its first complaint. A pipe knocked once behind the wall, then regretted the sound. Outside, someone dragged a bin over gravel, its wheels stuttering like teeth. A dog barked twice and seemed to remember the hour.
Wyona opened her eyes. The ceiling was still there. The crack above the light fixture was still shaped like a river.
Perla was awake. The kitchen had begun to speak in her sister’s language — cupboard, spoon, kettle, cup. A small ceramic click. A drawer closing carefully, as if the house were a patient that could be startled into pain.
“Do not bring me tea,” Wyona called.
From the kitchen: “Too late.”
Wyona closed her eyes again. Eighty-two years old, and still no one listened to her when it mattered least.
Perla came in carrying two cups, one in each hand, moving slowly enough to prove she was not old and carefully enough to prove she was.
The story continues in The Ones Still Here.
© 2026 Sophi Garcia. All rights reserved.
A story to read. A book to give.
Give a physical book
A book to hold, inscribe, and place in someone’s hands.
A gift for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a visit made special.
Our first release will be the physical gift edition. We are preparing the print details with care.
Tell me when I can orderRead digitally
Keep the stories and artwork close on your tablet or computer.
A digital edition is planned to follow the physical release. Format, price, and availability will be shared when confirmed.
Prices and ordering details will appear here when each edition is ready. You can read the excerpt and explore all three books today.
Gift-edition design preview: the gold page edges show the proposed finish. Final print details will be confirmed before ordering.
Current illustrated edition: 167 pages · English
Before you choose
The Ones Still Here is gift one in Why We Miss, the Wyona Lan collection. It contains the four stories listed above. Start with The Ones Still Here to enter Wyona’s world, then continue through the three books.
It may suit someone who enjoys adult literary fiction about family and later life. You might read a passage together during a visit, or leave the book for them to enjoy at their own pace. Choose with their interests and reading comfort in mind.
Use the excerpt above and its text-size buttons. The current book interiors use standard print. Digital reading options will be listed with the edition when it becomes available.
These are works of fiction about relationships, aging, care, memory, and personal choices. They include illness, loss, and difficult family moments alongside warmth and everyday humor.
More from Wyona Lan
Gift Two
Restoration does not arrive as a new beginning.
Gift Three
Care can enter a room and still forget to ask.
The next chapter
The hardcover gift editions are in preparation. Leave your email for release news, confirmed prices, and ordering details.
Planning a gift? We’ll share shipping information when it is confirmed, so you can choose with time to spare.
