In August 2003, Jim Beaver, an actor known for his roles in both Deadwood and Supernatural, and his wife Cecily learned that their daughter Maddie was autistic. Six weeks later, Cecily was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. Jim began writing a nightly email as a way of keeping friends and family up to date about Cecily's condition. Cecily died four months after being diagnosed, but Jim continued the emails for a year. Life's That Way is a compilation of those emails; a day-by-day account of what it's like to live through a nightmare and to navigate life anew.