A Writer’s Thoughts on Thanksgiving

 

As we once again approach our national Thanksgiving holiday, considering what to be thankful for seems particularly appropriate.

 

First and foremost, I treasured my husband and the many years we shared. I am thankful for my children and my grandchildren. I value good health. I also appreciate the fact that I am able to be a full-time writer.

 

My husband, Monte, encouraged me to write something that would be meaningful and significant. I thought long and hard about how to fulfill that suggestion. 

My novella THE BURNING was published by Annurlunda Enterprises. The Burning is based on a play I wrote which won the Playhouse 22 Playwrights Award and was performed on stage. I decided to approach it in another genre.

THE BURNING is faction, part fact, but also fiction, about what happens to a family in Pennsylvania as the result of a coal fire burning under the town. Members of the Ferris family face his or her personal hell, barely coming through it alive, forced to acknowledge painful truths and deal with issues of faith. It’s based on real events that occurred in Centralia. Unfortunately, such problems continue to plague coal-mining communities in different places. Climate change is a very serious problem causing all sorts of environmental problems. And there are no easy answers.

 Here is a brief excerpt from the novella:

Chapter Four

George drove home on autopilot, detached, barely aware of his surroundings. The talk with Baines kept turning over in his head. He’d worked so hard for so many years to provide a good life for his family. Was that going to end now? The whole thing seemed crazy. Could some underground fire wreck his life and that of his family? He shook his head, refusing to accept this as inevitable.

The living room of George Ferris’s house usually offered a refuge, but he didn’t want to walk inside yet. Instead he stood in the front hallway praying for composure while silently lurking. He could see Amy was sitting on the sofa attentively reading a book, feet tucked under her.

Every so often, she coughed. Liz came into the room. She was dressed in brown slacks and a casual cream-colored blouse. He admired how beautiful his wife was. With her natural good looks, she wore very little make-up and didn’t need it. George was reminded of how much he loved her. Liz was the real deal. What would this news do to her? She deserved so much better in life. For a few minutes, he watched Liz straightening up the room, but then she stopped to listen to Amy’s recurring cough.

THE BURNING is available both in print and as an e-book. You can check out the details from the publisher at: 

http://annorlundaenterprises.com/books/the-burning/

or:

https://www.amazon.com/Burning-J-P-Seewald/dp/1944354263 

or:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-burning/id1295182706?ls=1&mt=11

or:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-burning-j-p-seewald/1127102724?ean=9781944354268 

or:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-burning-38

or:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/753033

What are you thankful for? Your health, your accomplishments, family,

 friends? Your thoughts and comments most welcome!