Although I won't take the time to move all my "older" blogs to this new site (see link to Blogger below), this one is definitely worth moving. Originally published in May 2018.
My novel is complete, thanks in large part to Molly McGrath, who calls herself an editor but I believe she is truly a professional cheerleader, wielding her expertise and encouragement in equal measure. So many people (family, friends, acquaintances, the guy who works at the research desk at the Auburn Public Library) want to know what I've been doing the last couple of years, that I thought it best to share a brief synopsis of the novel here.
Today begins my submission process - which can take years, and often ends without publishing success. I'm ready for the journey. Thank you to everyone who believes in me and this project!
The Toll Road North synopsis
How would you react if caught in a random act of violence? When Dee recognizes the face of her 17-year-old captor, she sees her chance for personal and family redemption.
The Toll Road North (76,570 words) is a suspenseful, character-driven, contemporary novel about intertwined and intergenerational families set in the French-Catholic community of Lewiston, Maine in the 1960s and 1970s and present day. The story explores small town life, family secrets, and class divisions as they come to light when present encounters past.
Dee Langlois is living a charmed life as a Connecticut housewife until she returns to her roots in Lewiston during a college visit with her son and they are caught in a hostage situation in the local sandwich shop. When she recognizes the face of the disenfranchised youth waving the gun, Dee realizes that she has to face her past, despite her fear that her husband, son, and friends may never again see her as the same person. In interwoven chapters, we meet Dee’s and the young gunman’s ancestors who set the tone for the future generations of each of their families. The novel exposes the reader to Dee's family secrets, filled with unwanted pregnancies, name changes, and abandonment, through a cast of small town recognizable characters who create the best images they can muster from their dark pasts. As the reader follows Dee, her younger parents, and their friends through a series of bewildering discoveries, The Toll Road North explores the idea that family legacy shapes the adult persona and that we can't escape our roots.