Katherine Ann Porter's novella would be a wonderful starting place, but it's not in the knowledge universe of W&L students. Here's a short characterization:
Already pursuing what she later described as a "nomadic" life, Porter lived briefly in Louisiana with her sister, and then moved back to Texas. Back in Texas, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis, beginning a lifelong battle with ill health. If there was anything beneficial in contracting a debilitating disease, it was that while recovering in a sanitarium in Carlsbad, Texas, Porter met a woman who would later give her a paid position as a writer for a newspaper. Later Porter denied that she had ever been a "newspaperwoman," a term she disliked. Whatever the title, the fact remains that she launched her writing career while working for a newspaper.Posted by blackmer at December 21, 2004 11:41 AM
In 1918, Porter continued her recuperation in Denver, where she wrote reviews for the Rocky Mountain News. She had barely recovered her health when she was hit by influenza in the epidemic that killed 500,000 Americans. Many years later, Porter wrote Pale Horse, Pale Rider, a novella about Miranda, a young woman working for a newspaper, who survives the epidemic only to discover that Adam, her beloved, has succumbed to the disease. Alfred Crosby dedicated his history of the influenza epidemic to Porter because he believed Pale Horse, Pale Rider to be an exceptional depiction of the suffering endured during the epidemic.
(from neh.gov)