Get Away to a New Romance

December always finds me looking for new authors to read and this year was no different. Of course, I am always looking for a good romance novel and my search introduced me to both as I discovered author Larry Farmer and his newest book.  Larry is the guest in My Writing Corner this week.

He tells us he was born and raised in Harlingen, Texas, a town on the southern tip of the state near the Gulf of Mexico.   He says he grew up with old school values on a cotton farm. He attended Texas A & M and joined the Corps of Cadets there. He eventually quit in join the Marines. He also served in the Peace Corp in the Philippines. After traveling around the world he eventually settled in Switzerland where he married and raised two of his three children. He now works for Texas A&M and he says he finally has the time to reflect on his life and its meaning... and to write about it, and we're glad he does!
His newest book is Seeing Gail Again, and we can see some of that past experience come to life.

Here's the blurb:

Jericho, just out of the Marines, returns to his roots in Texas only to face the anti-war movement that demonizes all Vietnam vets. He needs to sort through his life away from all that, and in his travels he stumbles upon a Shangri-La called the Lake District of England. There is peace and serenity around those lakes. And a girl—a beautiful, soulful girl he meets while working in the restaurant of a luxury hotel.

Gail is deep and intellectual, a mother-earth type who gives him peace inside. But when the Yom Kippur War breaks out in Israel, he abruptly leaves her and goes to help the beleaguered Jewish state while seeking his Jewish identity. Yet neither Jericho nor Gail could ever forget the depth of their love… 

Will meeting again, years later, resolve the feelings that never left them?

Naturally I was curious about these two characters so I had to ask Larry to tell us more about them both. 

Why did Jericho feel the need to get away from Texas after coming home from Vietnam?

Jericho felt the ravages of combat in a controversial war. Then came home to the war at home, the Age of Aquarius vs traditional America one. Trying to settle back in to normal life, the way America had changed, the riots in the streets, the stigma of being a 'baby killer', plus the corruption of politics with Watergate going on, made Jericho feel a need to heal. To find himself. 'To find his head.'

What touches him most about the Lake District?

The serenity, remoteness, and the genteel population.

What first attracts him to Gail?

She had an air about her. Self-confidence, depth, maturity, and a soulful personality.

Why would he want to leave her?

To spend one's life as a secular Jew in a gentile world, assimilated but still a chord of difference in outlook and heritage. Even awareness of a stigma of this heritage. The Yom Kippur War broke out in Israel and suddenly an awakening of Jewish heritage and pride broke through in Jericho. A defensiveness for the underdog on top of that. And to see a people willing and able to fight for themselves, after he experienced the antagonism and shame America, especially the Aquarian Age America, seemed to feel toward those who believed in America's ideals as well as seeing the dangers lurking in the world, especially through the Communist belligerence during the Cold War.

What haunts him about her?

Her soulfulness and idealism. The passion that broke through from her relationship with Jericho.

Now let's focus on Gail. What attracts her to Jericho?

An irresistible independence in him along with self-confidence. And he truly believed in his ideals and causes. A seeker. Someone that needs to know answers to complicated aspects of life, cultures, and history. This longing to find himself. Sturdiness mixed with compassion and ideals.

How did meeting him change her  life?

Gail has spent her entire life feeling different than everyone around. Looking for her place in life, but also secretly longing for her knight in shining armor. Someone strong, but deep and sensitive. And there he stands, suddenly, from the most unlikely places. A Marine Cowboy from Texas. An irresistible allure once she got to know him. The opening to new horizons and understanding that the world wasn't as black and white as even her ideals sometimes believed. He broke the mold, but fit the dreams. She opened up to new worlds because of him. And found that her own dreams were attainable in the knight he seemed to be.

What does she want for her future?

Companionship of the soul. Nurturing of the heart. A life simple but with depth.

Doesn't that just make you want to dive into the story and not stop until you've read the whole thing? I'm ready to read! Here are the buy links:

The Wild Rose Press
Seeing Gail Again Larry Farmer (paperback) -- from the publisher The Wild Rose Press


Amazon and Kindle

Barnes and Noble

Barnes & Noble -- From Nook -- Seeing Gail Again

Kobo

From Kobo --  Seeing Gail Again ebook by Larry Farmer - Rakuten Kobo

I-Books
From I-books -- Seeing Gail Again - Books on Google Play

Thank you, Larry, for being my guest and introducing us to  Gail and Jericho.  Any questions or comments for Larry?