I love old books.  And flea markets. Being connected to the history of other people through their valuable treasures is very comforting to me.  The seller talks to you of family, when the item was bought, how the new puppy broke the fourth cup of a beautiful breakfast set bought at great personal sacrifice, and why did grandma ever think they would like a purple platter with white roses that she made as her first senior citizen project!

That’s what browsing in thrift shops, book sales, and antique stores is like. Used bookstores are the best. As I gently caress the faded cover of a poetry volume published in England, 1964, and read the inscription…”To Helen, in memory of our youngest”, I stand with Helen mourning the baby who died of flu that winter.  The wee babe cried until exhausted.  Helen bathed her daughter with cool cloths, held her to her breast, and walked the dark death corridor praying to the Great Goddess and Mary and the Queen to spare this one red-haired angel. However, dawn brought stillness to the child, emptiness to Helen, and the doctor’s steps, all to late to lock the gate to the nether world, if ever he could have. CONNECTION…………

This is the beginning of the Preface to my novel ZARDA.

ZARDA is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Book Baby, as an ebook or paperback.