AN ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK

 ”A Woman of Substance,” by Barbara Taylor Bradord, is one of my all-time favorites.  I first read it reluctantly…a friend loaned it to me and said “here is something you might like.”  Very casually.  So I didn’t think too much of it, but then I picked it up.

And wow!  I couldn’t put it back down.  I read it once, then again later…and I read all the sequels.

Of course, it’s a story of a dynasty, in a sense, and it’s about a young girl growing up poor in the English villages—a girl who is pushed into a corner by circumstances and has to make it on her own—and then she does.  She makes it big!

What happens after, with all the subsequent drama, love, loss and eventual satisfaction and fulfillment…ah, it’s the stuff of dreams.

So, to answer a challenge from another blogster on this Monday morning—the question of my all-time favorite book—this one is it!

Here’s a link to Sheila’s contest:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/monday-madness-what-is-your-indulgent-book/

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

What happens to a woman on the verge of giving birth, while her fiancé continues acting as if he is still an adolescent boy?  The answers form the story that follows, in a somewhat predictable pattern…boy-man goes out for cigarettes and doesn’t return; woman goes into labor the next day; and the saga of treading water in the single mom’s world, while trying to recover from heartbreak, could be just another predictable tale.

But Jenny Harris, our single mom, adds that extra spark—her humor, her tenacity, her all-encompassing love—and we find ourselves rooting for her from the very first moment. 

Even before the “cad” leaves, we can see the handwriting on the wall and know that he will disappoint.  He lolls around the house, sleeping until noon; he stays out late with his boys playing music; he doesn’t lift a finger to help his hugely pregnant fiancée set up for the garage sale they’re having.  So, in a way, we’re kind of glad that he leaves.  He isn’t anything to write home about.

The challenges Jenny faces, even with the support of her “new mommy” group, remind us all of any of the difficulties we’ve faced in life.  We hope and believe that she will triumph.

So what happens to Jenny, once she has accepted that fiancé Dean is not coming back?  Does she finally realize that she doesn’t want him back, and will she bravely forge new relationships?  Or will she totally focus on her baby, this new love who consumes her time and attention?  

Discovering what happens next kept me reading until the final page.  It is not one of those books that we’ll clamor about for days to come, but it is thoroughly enjoyable and definitely rates four stars.  Perhaps even four-and-a-half.

UNTANGLING THE WEB

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In my fourth novel, I went out on a limb, creating a character engulfed in the tyranny of child abuse – an entangling web that informs her life for decades.

We first meet Margaret Elaine Graham – later called Meg – at the age of ten, as she struggles to make sense of the dynamics of her controlling family life.  Despite the constraints that often overwhelm her, she finds escape – with her school studies, in her books, and even in some of her friendships – despite the restrictions that often interfere with her goals.  For example, she has to hide books under her mattress, because her tyrannical father’s fundamentalist beliefs do not allow for most of her book choices.

Throughout her childhood experiences and the abuse, some of which she will not remember for many years, Meg keeps her eye on the prize – freedom and an escape to a different kind of life.

Unfortunately, some of her choices along the way thwart her goals, including her marriage to Bob Williams – a professional businessman she meets while in college.  He is not who he appears to be, and stifled by the control freak that outwardly seemed nothing like her father, Meg hangs in there until after she achieves her college degree.  By then, she has a young child, but taking a leap of faith, Meg reinvents herself – as Lainey Graham – and carves out a life that includes friends, involvement in the radical causes of the day, and a career that will hold meaning for her.  Most of all, her choices must provide the freedom from all tyranny.

Meg/Lainey greets her quest with trepidation at times, and along the way, she battles alcohol addiction.  Therapy sessions provide some of the answers she seeks and opens a door onto the secret betrayals of early childhood.

SECRETS, BETRAYALS, AND THE BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP

 

 

Childhood friends, Abigail and Lila, are torn apart by a betrayal that leaves them each damaged in different ways for years to come.

Abigail, the daughter of the family housekeeper, strives to achieve something with her life, and after many years of struggle, she becomes a household name…a diva of domesticity…A brand name.  Her family life appears perfect, just like her domestic goddess kingdom, but underneath, more secrets and betrayals lurk.

Lila, worlds apart from Abigail in the beginning, as the daughter of a rich family, seemingly continues on this path, ending up with her handsome husband, beautiful Park Avenue apartment, and loving son.  Then, with one brutal stroke of luck—or karma—it is all taken away, and she is forced to seek employment just to sustain herself and her son. 

Which is why she finds herself, after numerous rejections, on the doorstep of her former friend.

When Abigail offers Lila a job as her housekeeper, it would seem like vengeance, or some kind of karmic justice.

Meanwhile, Lila’s twin brother Vaughn, a world traveler and Abigail’s teenage lover comes home with devastating news of his own.

The scene is set for drama, but everything seemingly spins out of control when a woman from Mexico begins wending her way to New York to avenge her daughter’s death.  A factory fire took the life of Concepcion’s daughter, Milagros, which Concepcion believes is the direct result of Abigail’s negligence.

Will the secrets and betrayals of the past finally come home to roost?  Will Abigail and Lila ever restore the bond they once shared?  What is going on with Abigail’s teenage daughter, and will her strange, obsessive preoccupation with Lila’s son turn into something even more troubling?  And finally, what culminating events will bring all of the characters together or forever tear them asunder?

An intriguing read, this story of domestic drama truly transcends the “domestic” to become a sweeping emotional tale of lives derailed and family secrets revealed.

UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS – A BOOK REVIEW OF “MOMMY BY MISTAKE”

Reminiscent of characters in the “Shopaholic” series, Rowan Coleman’s “Mommy by Mistake” follows the adventures of a thirty-something woman as she embarks on child rearing—unexpectedly.

When Natalie Curzon impulsively connects with a charming man—Jack Newhouse—and agrees to a weekend in Venice, she has no idea of the consequences that will unfold.  After the weekend is over, she hopes to see him again.  But he doesn’t call.  And then she discovers she is pregnant.

Fortunately, she is part-owner of a successful lingerie business and has a lovely house of her own.  Despite these blessings, however, she finds herself sinking into despair during the initial few weeks after her son’s birth; she has decided by then that she will never see or hear from Jack again.  And this new adventure is more difficult than she expected.

Then her life begins to change again when her home’s electrical system needs revamping and through her new electrician, she meets a whole series of new people—some of them other mothers—and a sisterhood connection develops.

But a seemingly harmless fabrication, followed by her embarrassingly flawed mother’s unexpected visit and the surprising reunion with her “baby daddy”—all will turn everything around.  Will she rebuild her relationship with her mother?  Will she be able to tell Jack about her baby Freddie?  And when will she be able to confess her cover story to her new friends?

This is a light-hearted book about serious topics.  Just when it seems depressing, the humor of the characters and the situations in which they find themselves creates a warm and funny tale of the unexpected twists and turns of life and new parenthood.

EXPLORING AMBER’S WORLD

An exploration of the characters in my novel “Embrace the Whirlwind.”  Find this book HERE:

To say that the character, Amber Cushing, is tempestuous, impulsive and out-of-control would be an understatement. But after meeting her mother, and after learning more about her childhood experiences, it is much easier to understand, and perhaps even empathize, with the apparently wrong choices of her life. In fact, you may find yourself cheering her on in her quest for love and acceptance.

As she hurtles down one path or another, you will also meet others along the way:  characters like Denise Richardson, a retired social worker, who will also intrigue you as you realize that, underneath the apparently caring and professional demeanor, lie secrets and demons that challenge her on a daily basis. These “flaws” lend an authenticity to her personality, even as they grip us and challenge us to look deeper below the surface in all the characters.

Including the apparently uptight Hilary, Amber’s mother, who reveals a tempestuous side to her own past that brings a jolt of “a-ha” to our assessment of her.

Perhaps Martha is the character least understood and enjoyed. She seems too perfect, too orderly and tidy. But then we watch as she employs every machination in the book to get what she wants.

In the end, each character is more than a supporting cast for Amber. They each have a voice and they each play a role in the final outcome.

A PEEK INTO “THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS,” A BOOK REVIEW

It is the Sixties in the Bay Area.  Ah, this seems so familiar!  As I read along about the five women who meet in the park every Wednesday, with their kiddies, the whole thing feels like it could have happened in my life.

That’s what is wonderfully cozy about this book.  The reader feels the connection between the women and gets a little peek into their lives.  The first-person narrator is one of the women, so the whole thing feels even more intimate.

But then it changes into something more, as the women begin writing.  Then the whole purpose of the meetings is writing and critiquing and finding their own voice as women, as people, in a way that’s different for those times.  Yes, they do go to the occasional peaceful protest, but the crux of their time together is about the writing.

But the book veers off again, as each of the women faces some kind of crisis.  First, the marriage that’s torn asunder by the husband’s cheating; then the cancer scare that turns into more than a scare.  As they each bond together to support each other through the tough times, you see the familiarity again…Women and Sisterhood.

This book felt so real that I couldn’t put it down.  I hoped to discover more about their lives, but alas, the final page came anyway.  The writer makes us care about the characters, which is what good writing is all about.

ETIOLOGY OF “AN ACCIDENTAL LIFE”

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In my novel “An Accidental Life,” I focused on a local phenomenon in the Central Valley of California – methamphetamine abuse.  In the early nineties, I was working in child welfare services for the County of Fresno, and a proliferation of substance abuse cases (related to methamphetamine or “crank” abuse) became a regular aspect in the life of the social worker.

Years later, when I decided to pen a novel that featured these issues, I chose to zero in on characters that were composites of those I met during this time in my professional career.  I also added my own personal take to the story by creating characters from my personal history.

As a result, we have a bird’s eye view, as it were, into the life of social workers and their clients.

To spice things up a bit, I added a subplot that featured a stalker/murderer, a nod to another aspect of Central Valley life – homicides.  We have had our share of unsolved mysteries in this Valley city, but in my novel, I chose to reach a solution to the stalker/homicide that focuses on one of my characters.

Finally, because I do not believe in “happily ever after,” I did make one concession to this familiar theme:  I chose what I call a “hopeful ending.”  The characters are left with the faith that the “journey” in life is really what it’s all about.  Finding themselves on the path of self-discovery, with its complexities and obstacles, allows the characters to persist – to believe.

In the end, that’s really all we have.