Please excuse the horrible typing. I'll wake up in a minute and hit the right keys.
Three years almost to the day that Edward left the house that terrible January morning, Melanie asked Abigail if she minded if Mister Hessman came to dinner on Sunday.
The frightened young wife approached the subject after dinner one evening when Gem was outside watering her plants, but before Fred took off for wherever it was he disappeared to until dark.
The look that Abigail gave Melanie could have frozen boiling water on the stove. Fred got up, said he had work to do in the garage, and both Abigail and Melanie let him go without a word.
"He wants to show you and Fred the book that is being published with my drawings," Melanie said shakily, trying to soften the outrage that she could see building in Abigail. "It's all perfectly…"
"Respectable?" her mother-in-law added gravely.
The word was out there ripping the silence, echoing in the void that followed it, and seemed to draw a line down the middle of the table, respectable on Abigail's side, a suspiciously non-respectable request from Melanie on the other. Not having the heart or the temerity for taking sides against her mother-in-law ever, Melanie conceded quietly, "Never mind, Abbey. You and Fred can see it when it's published along with everyone else." She got up, picked up her plate, and headed out of the dining room only to be stopped by Abigail's officious voice.
"What do Jewish people eat?"
Jean Blasiar and Jonathan Marcantoni
J Blasiar: author of "Poor Rich" and "Richer"
J Marcantoni: co-author of "Communion" and "Beyond the Abyss"
I understand. I, for one, enjoyed that section of the site. Sorry to see it go. It was always good to watch the progress of the books through the various stages, from this point of view. Sounds like your book stores are off to a flying start. Wish you the best on them.
Charlie No Face by David B. Seaburn---a coming-of-age story
(available-- http://www.amazon.com/dp/0984555285 )
Visit: http://www.davidbseaburn.com
Excerpt #1 (family-rated)
“Everything in my life changed, just like that. I mean everything. This summer was supposed to be the best time of my short little life. And up until the middle of July, the summer of '59 was. But then everything changed. My dad started acting, well, different. He wasn't completely "there" some of the time, and I didn't know what to think of it. And on top of that, there was the whole thing with Charlie No Face.”
About the Book: When eleven year old Jackie goes to live with a distant relative and meets disfigured hermit and infamous local legend, Charlie No Face, Jackie’s life changes forever. Jackie and Charlie develop an unlikely friendship through which Jackie learns the truth about his mother’s death and, more importantly, how to look at others with his heart. Seaburn blends warmth, humor, pathos and hope in this inspiring coming-of-age story about a young boy’s self-discovery.
About the Author: David B. Seaburn is the author of two previous novels, Darkness is as Light and Pumpkin Hill. He is a psychologist, marriage and family therapist, as well as an ordained minister. He lives in the Rochester New York area. Visit the author’s website at http://www.davidbseaburn.com.
A Customer Review: As a frequent business traveler for more than 10 years I have grown very fond of reading; it is a great way to help pass time when waiting in airports, flying on planes or sitting in a boring hotel room. While I truly enjoy a good book, after the first few years it didn't take too long to burn through everything written by my favorite Authors which has left me searching the rows in book stores, on line options and Kindle suggestions. Last week, I got very lucky, I found Charlie No Face! Written by David B. Seaburn the book’s an enchanting and heartfelt coming of age story about a boy named Jackie and the most unforgettable summer of his young life. Having read what I would consider a large number of books in my life, my personal top 5 includes, literary classics as well as some modern day thrillers. It now includes the story of a young boy dealing with some common boyhood issues along with issues that are forced into his young life through events beyond his control. After reading this book I don't know of anyone who could not relate to young Jackie's life, and his struggles to make sense of the events that take place in the summer of his 11th year. I know I am reading a great book when the Author can make me laugh out loud or turn away from the passenger sitting next to me so they won't see the tears that flowed non-stop as Jackie learned about how his mother gave her life so he could have his. If you liked Steven King's Stand by Me, you will love Charlie No Face! I would like to thank David Seaburn for this rare gift that can only be delivered when someone like him takes the time to bring a story like this to life. While I was sad to reach the last 50 pages of this book the Author wrapped up the story in a way that will forever hold its place in the top 5 books I have ever read!
Doug
I wrote this novel to show the readers how Ukrainian people lived from the beginning of the twentieth century until 1991, when Ukraine got its independence from the Soviet Union. I used the life of one hypothetical family who lived in a Ukrainian village as an example.
This epic novel will take readers on an unforgettable journey into the heart of a land and a people built on pain, passion, and hope for a better future.
Wretched Land by Mila Komarnisky, Chapter 1, Excerpt 1
Vasyl, a middle-aged, heavy-built peasant, jumped off his horse and ran across the stubble waving his hand and calling, "Pan Dmytro, it's urgent. It's a telegram from Kharkiv."
Dmytro stopped scything wheat, passed the back of his hand over his forehead, mixing sweat with dust, and smiled at Vasyl as he took the paper. While he read the telegram, the smile disappeared and his face turned as ashen as the whitewash on the village houses. The letters became a blur in front of his eyes. He refused to comprehend the sense of the message that his lawyer, Pan Lisovy, had sent to him. His hand fell limp and the telegram dropped to the ground. With a worried look, Vasyl picked up the paper, "Pan Dmytro, what's happened?"
Dmytro was petrified. Vasyl looked at the telegram but, unable to read, he did not know what news it contained. Alarmed, he grasped Dmytro's arm and shaking it said, "What is it, what's happened? Tell me, please."
Dmytro looked at Vasyl with his abstract blue eyes and said, "My father. He shot himself."
"Oh, my God," Vasyl said and blessed himself with the sign of the cross.
***
One of the Book's reviews at http://tinyurl.com/43pnt8e
Wretched Land is available from the Savant Books and Publications Bookstore at https://www.createspace.com/3578979
At the Amazon.com bookstore at http://tinyurl.com/3rh9ae2
At the Amazon.ca http://tinyurl.com/3bha4jq
At the Amazon.co.uk http://tinyurl.com/69ro3ps
Sincerely,
Mila Komarnisky
Author of Wretched Land (2011)
The press release at http://prlog.org/11432786
The author's website: http://www.komarnisky.com
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