I hope to have this manuscript in book form by the new year of 2017.
Here is a small taste from the first chapter. Hope you enjoy it.
All my books are available in both Kindle and Paperback formats on all Amazon sites.
Check out my author's page at http://www.amazon.com/author/audreyaustin
ALL THEM HOUSES
And
the earth is renewed with an avalanche of raindrops that skip and jump upon the
patio stones before descending into the welcoming arms of the thirsty ground. I see the twirling, bouncing green branches
of Maple, Oak and Willow outlined by never-ending, shadowy, grey sky. I welcome the rain as I watch it pour over
all that needs sustenance and cleansing.
I
feel in need of sustenance. I desire spiritual
cleansing. Here is my opportunity to go
through the door, to stand outside, and to allow the drops of water to baptize
me and feed my hunger for fulfillment.
Today
is not the first day I have chosen to ignore an opportunity. I doubt it will be my last.
Instead
I decide that this is a day to stay indoors, to look inward and be grateful. This
is a day to begin to write my memoir.
But
how does one typical, run-of-the-mill, woman, pick and choose from the
fragments of her folly; from the heart of her passion; to write her story?
I
ask for guidance as I choose from the world of words. I want to write a story that other women, ordinary
women like me, will recognize; one that other women will want to read as they
breathe in and out their own day to day doldrums and delights.
I’m
reminded of a line from Gone With The
Wind when Pork, the butler, tells Scarlett, ‘Askin’ ain’t gettin’.
Still
I ask for needed guidance as I continue because, for me, to write this story is
a challenge. I can only hope that the words will jump into my mind and introduce
themselves throughout this journey.
And
I wonder; is there a woman beyond the age of fifty who has not gazed into a
bathroom mirror and enquired, who is that
old lady looking back at me and where did she come from?
I
started asking this question about ten years ago. Who is
that old lady? She looks a lot like
my mother. Who is that woman?
Yes,
I asked; but did I really want to know?
Then
more years passed and, like lit candles flickering on a birthday cake, the
light shone upon my consciousness. Today
I look into the mirror and again I ask, Who
is that old lady? The big difference
is that today when I ask the question, I realize that I have not only the
desire, but also the need, the determination and almost a compulsion to, once and
for all, find out.
It
was not an easy acceptance but in time I was ready to acknowledge that the
enquiry is rhetorical. The answer is in
the question.
The
old woman is me.
I’ve
known it all along. I just did not want
to face up to reality. I did not want to
know that I was growing old.
Now
that I accept and face up to this reality, my acknowledgement serves to open a
new door; one that I feel, finally, ready to enter.
Now
I find myself on a mission; one in which I hope to find the answers to two new
questions which are firstly; who is me and
secondly; why have I waited so long to
find out?
I
am very aware of the many things I have done in the past. I am aware of the things I do daily; the
actions I am currently taking. But from
somewhere deep down inside of me the question surfaces. Am I just a human doing? Am I not, after all, a human being?
And
this recognition reminds me of the first couple of lines in a poem I recently
wrote.
Who that be lookin’
back at me
with the raggedy smile,
and the dirt on the nose?
You be the child that
is me, I suppose.
All my books are available in both Kindle & Paperback formats on all Amazon sites. My author's page is found at http://www.amazon.com/author/audreyaustin
Some of my paperback books can be found at The Elliot Laker Store, 150 Ontario Avenue, Elliot Lake.
My books are also available through createspace.com
I hope by January of 2017 to have All Them Houses a new addition to my collection of books.
Happy searching!
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