Blog Tour: CERTAIN SENSIBILITIES by Sondra Rice Newman

CERTAIN SENSIBILITIES

Sondra Rice Newman

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GENRE:  Women's Fiction

 

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BLURB:

 

Elizabeth, a retired librarian, alone and unable to care for herself, is resigned to spending her remaining days in a nursing home.

 

Not long after her arrival, her vitality is awakened by Cary, a young attendant. Elizabeth discovers that his interests in literature, art and the way of life of a gentler era are in step with hers.

 

When Cary eyes a framed photo of a young Elizabeth standing with her horse, attractive and vivacious, he is drawn to her as he’s been to no other woman.

 

Haunted by memories of a domineering mother who forced her into a loveless marriage, she is nevertheless a romantic who still believes in love.

 

This uncommon liaison leads to a deep devotion that transcends all boundaries. Despite their vast difference in age, Cary’s tender warmth inspires Elizabeth to make a new start in life.

 

 

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Excerpt Two:

 

Cary returned with dinner in tow and a small surprise. He found that the table had already been set. An ample green napkin lay beside each white plate.

 

There was room on the table for the single, long-stemmed red rose that he had brought home for Elizabeth. Removing a narrow, tall vase from the cupboard, he placed the rose in the vase and set it in front of Elizabeth’s place setting.

 

It was then that Cary noticed that a small green cream pitcher in the center of the table was filled with cilantro. Lit votive candles in green glass holders added to the gracious and relaxing atmosphere. He paused in the middle of the kitchen for a moment, taking it all in.

 

Elizabeth wheeled herself into the kitchen.

 

“Wow! This is beautiful, Elizabeth. My only complaint is that you’re supposed to have the night off.”

 

“I do have the night off, dear, but I also try to maintain certain standards.”

 

Cary grinned. “I have noticed that, Elizabeth.”

 

“One simply must, Cary. If one begins eating food from plastic containers—or worse yet—from Styrofoam . . . ” She shuddered at the thought. “Then what’s next?”

 

Cary frowned to show Elizabeth that he was thinking hard, trying to find the right answer to her rhetorical question. “Let me guess—the downfall of Western civilization?”

 

“Something like that,” Elizabeth replied, smiling in spite of herself.

 

Cary proceeded to uncork a dry Vouvray that Elizabeth had chosen. He poured wine into each of the stemmed glasses, carefully placed the bottle on the table so that the label faced Elizabeth, and then sat down to join her.

 

When Cary was about to pick up his knife and fork, Elizabeth reached across the table and placed her hand on his. “Cary, I adore the rose. Thank you.”

 

Excerpt Three:

 

“Since then, we’ve never looked back. And I’ve never been happier or more fulfilled. I love this man with all my heart and soul.

 

“And you can put this in your story, too. If I were his age today, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off him.”

 

Mackenna briefly broke into a smile upon hearing the last comment, then regained her composure and continued with her questions.

 

“I’d like to ask you, Elizabeth, if you often think about your mortality and how you deal with this issue.”

 

“I take it one day at a time,” she replied. “I’m not focused on it as a regular thing. I go about my daily work, which keeps me very busy, and Cary and I take lots of time-outs to enjoy sunsets, the garden, movies—or just being with each other.

 

“When I do think about it, I don’t envision a hereafter where we might meet again someday. Instead, I know in my heart that what we feel for each other now will continue to exist, but in a different form. It will be out there somewhere in the universe in time and space—alive and powerful. It's the kind of love that will last forever.”

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

In love with reading since childhood, Sondra began writing poetry early on.  She later contributed columns for a weekly newspaper in Ohio.  

 

A native of Michigan, Sondra attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.

 

She brought out her first novel, Silver Dreams, in 2006 (Robert D. Reed Publishers).

 

Sondra lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband, George, a retired newspaper reporter. 

 

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GIVEAWAY 

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