In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende

A blizzard in Brooklyn and a car accident is what is needed to bring three lives together and turn them around for the better.  

Richard owns a Brooklyn brownstone with a lower floor rented to Lucia.  Lucia stays in during the blizzard, but Richard forces himself to head for the store.  On his way, he rear-ends a Lexus that Evelyn is driving. 

This small accident creates the three to need more from each other than could be guessed until the story relays the details of their lives.

Richard obtained an academic position at NYU after his regrettable life in Chile.  In Chili, he started with a wife and two children.  Shortly after moving to the states, he no longer has children or a wife.  He sank into a rigid life of work and little socialization.

Lucia moves from Chile when Richard offers her a teaching job and a place to rent.  Her former life had also been full of family losses and humanitarian grievances.  She feels empty and alone.

Evelyn immigrates to the US from Guatemala seeking asylum and a job for a young woman barely speaking English.  

The accident proves more than just a fender bender.  Evelyn has her boss's car.  In the car is evidence of a horrible crime.  

Evelyn, Richard, and Lucia grouped together to plan how to hide someone else's crime to save Evelyn.

During their quest, each learn and begin to love one another. Richard and Lucia find a need to be together, and Evelyn becomes a pseudo daughter to them.   

Their fragile lives are reconstructed out of love.

Happy reading,

Dawn Kunda

What's New?

 

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe! 

        It’s a beautiful Sunday morning as I sit down to write this and I have to admit, that I’m loving the weather here in Phoenix right now. The heat of summer hasn’t truly hit though we did have some rather hot days last months. I’m glad they didn’t stick around.

        So, what’s new with me?

        I submitted The Madam & Mr. MacLean to my publisher! Whoooo-hoooo! It’s as perfect as I can get it and I’m looking forward to seeing what my editor thinks. As you may remember, she’s the one who’s been teaching me what I didn’t know I didn’t know. She’s fabulous and I enjoy working with her!

        I’m also working hard on Wife Unexpected…and it’s not going as well as I’d like. I’m still having issues with the beginning but I’ll get there. I really want Faith to have her happy ending. Tysen, too. I think they both deserve it.

        Other than that, the day job is keeping me so busy. It’s a good thing I write in the early mornings BEFORE I head into the office because truthfully, by the time I get home, I don’t have a coherent thought in my head. I’m tired though you’d never know that by the way I hustle around the house at the end of the day.

       And every day I wake up and remember that retirement is coming. Only one year, seven months and twenty-seven days now! I talk about it a lot because I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve had some people ask me with I plan to do…how will I fill my days without the day job? It’s not something I’m worried about. My days will be filled. I’ll be writing of course, hoping to write more than one book a year. I’d also like to go back to doing crossword puzzles, which I love, but haven’t had time to do. I want to read more, too. There are so many books out there by my favorite authors that I haven’t touched (they’re filling up my kindle as I write this). I’d like to pick up crocheting again…I have three half finished projects that are just sitting there in a box, calling to me, not to mention the needlepoint projects that are waiting.  

        Believe it or not, I want to try gardening, too (yes, I know I have a brown thumb and manage to kill every house plant I’ve ever had but I’d still like to try). We had a tomato garden when I was growing up. My father was really good at growing them and some of my fondest memories are of walking out to the garden, picking a ripe tomato right from the vine and eating it like an apple. There is nothing in the world like a Jersey Beefsteak tomato, warm from the sun!I’d like to volunteer, too. I’ll have the time so why not? 

        But the most important thing is the writing. As you may remember, I have a contract for four more books, which I never thought, in a million years, would happen.

        Speaking of that contract, I should get going. Those books aren’t going to write themselves. Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie