He could even remember, time was, he actually liked women.  He used to enjoy their company, both in public and in private, both in the barroom and the bedroom. He often talked of it when he was younger, the woman who lived with him puttering about the stove, raising dust clouds of flour: Alison; his lover –  

            No. Those were not the words he was looking for. Caleb put down his pen…

 

These are the opening lines of what is to be my first published novel. Due out soon by Austin Macauley Publishers of London and New York, Slow Dance in a Winter Garden is drawn from stories I began to write in the 1970’s, since revised and rewritten several times over and inspired in part by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s last Romance, The Marble Faun. The story moves back and forth between the present and the past as Caleb, a disillusioned middle-aged author, in  Rome to write his memoir, begins to lose touch with reality as memories of a troubled past catch up with him. 

            This is a dark and somewhat soul-searching tale, though it is told with humor and sensitivity. Characters are unconventional. Dialogue is lively. Not the easiest read since I write in a formal style, as one who loves our language and its possibilities, Slow Dance is nonetheless a compelling, modern story. 

            The softbound will be available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the publisher's website, as well as your local bookshop. It will also be available as an ebook. Incidentally, I write under a pen name, R. Thomas Sheardy. Write me at rtsheardy@gmail.com.

 

Watch for more information on this site  in the coming weeks.