Shadow of Silence is my debut novel, some sixty-eight years in the making. It was in second grade in 1946 that I first arranged words on paper in a way that intrigued me with the emotion they could convey. An avid reader from before I knew the meaning of words contained in the Sunday comics, the idea of filling pages with a story haunted me through life.
However, on my way to novelist, I accidentally became an attorney, intentionally became a wife and mother (and grandmother), and finally found my way into the fringe of the literary society.
With roots in the South going back to 1637 when my father's first ancestor stepped off the boat from England onto the shores of Virginia, I treasure my British heritage on both maternal and paternal sides, but am drawn to the Celtic roots of my Dublin born grandmother. In Shadow of Silence, one of my favorite characters is Annie's confidante, Molly O'Brien. Her no-nonsense spunk and spontaneous wisdom gives Annie the support she can find nowhere else. In my forth-coming novel, as yet untitled, I again draw from the fascination with Ireland to give the protagonist my grandmother's surname of Sheridan.
Annie Cameron, the protagonist of Shadow, became very dear to me over the course of the twelve months of writing the first complete draft. I feared for her, laughed with her, and shed a few tears along the way. Annie faced a dilemma that I do not know how I would have handled. Readers may applaud or condemn her choices, but I hope they will feel empathy for a young woman with good intentions who was dealt an impossible situation.
However, on my way to novelist, I accidentally became an attorney, intentionally became a wife and mother (and grandmother), and finally found my way into the fringe of the literary society.
With roots in the South going back to 1637 when my father's first ancestor stepped off the boat from England onto the shores of Virginia, I treasure my British heritage on both maternal and paternal sides, but am drawn to the Celtic roots of my Dublin born grandmother. In Shadow of Silence, one of my favorite characters is Annie's confidante, Molly O'Brien. Her no-nonsense spunk and spontaneous wisdom gives Annie the support she can find nowhere else. In my forth-coming novel, as yet untitled, I again draw from the fascination with Ireland to give the protagonist my grandmother's surname of Sheridan.
Annie Cameron, the protagonist of Shadow, became very dear to me over the course of the twelve months of writing the first complete draft. I feared for her, laughed with her, and shed a few tears along the way. Annie faced a dilemma that I do not know how I would have handled. Readers may applaud or condemn her choices, but I hope they will feel empathy for a young woman with good intentions who was dealt an impossible situation.
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