On
her fortieth birthday housewife Wanda Jo Ashton is expecting her
husband's standard gift of an E and E from T-that being Elegant and
Expensive from Tiffany's. However, what she gets is the news that her
formerly successful, dependable corporate attorney husband is leaving
her to pursue the rich life of a kept man. Left with nothing she has
no choice but to escape the San Francisco area, with her
sixteen-year-old daughter in tow and head toward the mountains of
West Virginia and the quirky family she left behind twenty years ago.
Here Wanda Jo must carve out a future, complete with career and home
in the midst of family feuds, computer phobias and the occasional
homebrewing explosion before she finally figures out life can indeed
being again at forty.
Excerpt
Okay,
there is was. Looking no different than twenty-two years ago. A small
opening in the woods marked by a gray, metal, utilitarian mailbox and
a graveled trail that passed for a driveway in these parts.
I
was home. Oh God help me. Please.
I
depressed the brake pedal, leaving behind the paved surface and tried
not to wince as what sounded like millions of tiny gravel bits pinged
against the underside of my car.
The
azaleas lining the drive still looked the same. The one at the very
end caught my attention, I could have sworn it jiggled. Oh no, it
couldn’t be. Surely it was impossible now.
Suddenly
the bush jumped in front of the car.
I
slammed on the brakes, pinning Olivia to the seat with my
outstretched arm. In the fashion of mothers everywhere I was
protecting my offspring from flying through the windshield by
crushing her windpipe while invoking the Maternal Arm.
I
looked toward the hood and the half-dozen bobbing azalea twigs in
front. I sat resolved as they rose and were followed by an old pith
helmet and a face which looked a bit older than I’d remembered,
although it was hard to tell precisely, given the layers of green and
black greasepaint. A body followed, dressed in a set of ancient Army
–issued fatigues.
“Gun,”
Olivia croaked, pointing.
I
simply nodded, there would be plenty of time later for my daughter to
find out exactly what was swimming around in the waters of the gene
pool from whence she’d sprung.
About
the Author
At
the age of nine Ellen Dye decided she was going to be a writer when
she found her Aunt Nettie’s trunk of True Confessions magazines and
spent untold hours reading the lot, a bag of Munchos potato chips and
a frosty RC Cola at her side. Then, being nine, she promptly forgot
all about it as she got lost in the pesky business of growing up, And
then one very lucky day she spotted a confession magazine on the
grocery store shelf and began to tap out her own stories which were a
delight to see published. Now she spends her days tapping out her
characters’ happily-ever-afters for The Wild Rose Press.
Visit
anytime at www.ellendye.com
Ellen
is always up for meeting new friends at Ellen Dye Author on Facebook
Amazon
sale link
Ellen
Dye will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner
via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
5 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
Thanks so much for hosting me today :)
Hello, Ellen!
This sounds hilarious. I hope the book does really well!
Thank you, Lisabet. I'm hoping the very same thing :) Many thanks for stopping by today
Thanks for sharing the great post, it sounds like a wonderful book!
Post a Comment
Let me know your thoughts! (And if you're having trouble commenting, try enabling third-party cookies in your browser...)