Carol's Candid Interview.

Carol:  Life was good. I had a college degree in counseling, a man who adored me, marriage, doting parents, a great job, trips abroad. Oh, and I can't forget about out golden retriever, Lucky. We felt blessed.
A frown flitted between her brows, crinkling her forehead. She nibbled her bottom lip between perfect white teeth. 
Carol was in her early fifties, had long dishwater-blond hair, a beautiful face but sad chestnut-colored eyes. 
Me: Did you have children?
She shook her head.
Carol: I loved my job. Thought we had plenty of time to complete out family. Then everything I mentioned before disappeared.
She got up and took slow steps to the window, pulled back a side of the curtain, and peered out. When she turned around her expression had changed. Darkness clouded her eyes. 
Carol: Divorce. Death. I lost my job.
Sinking into a tattered arm chair, Carol took a deep breath. Her fingers tapped the wooden armrest claws of the overstuffed chair. 
Carol: I was diagnosed with manic depression. In other words, I'm bipolar.
Me: Are you in therapy?
Carol: Yes, and I take pills.  But I can't work.
Me: Why not if you're on medication?
Carol: I just don't do well around crowds any more. I sleep a lot.
She patted her old dog's head.
Carol: I still have Lucky, so not everyone left me.
Her hand encompassed the area around her.
Carol: My dad willed me this house so I don't have to worry about rent, but I have to count my pennies. I'm on disability.
Another deep breath.
Me: Do you have friends you can talk to?
Carol: Yes. When I let them in.
Me: In this house?
Carol: In my thoughts.

It was time to give Carol a break. After years of not seeing her, she had "let me in" and I didn't want to deplete her trust in me. She is, after all, a friend of mine.

Her name has been changed to protect her identity. 

Find out more about author C.K. Alber @ http://www.amazon.com/author/ckalber






  

Monday's Challenge.

Is life ever simple or easy? Challenges takes special efforts to manage or overcome and most of us have them --- sometimes daily. Illness, addiction, poverty, are just a few among many. Do you have a story behind your window? Please share it with me and I will publish a few of them.
For today --- happy Monday.

Book #3 of The Promise Series, "A Prisoner's Promise" is about Anne Algani and her struggle to discover her real identity now that's she's almost twenty-years old. Why is she the only sibling who has olive skin and dark features? Secrets from her family's past erupt into a full blown mystery to be untangled by the men she loves in the present.
 

Behind every window there is a story. Have you ever walked and wondered what story lies behind a particular window? Traveling abroad as often as I do, has made me an "author window peeper". I stay my distance, but I study the shadows, the curtains, the lighting and imagine the family or single person from within. Some times I'll get a whiff of garlic, lemon, or pot --- and that only adds to the ingredients. Then I stir and come up with the characters. I love walking through the darker parts of a city or along a waterfront with a keeper's shack in sight. When I walk through the woods, I'm actually looking for a cabin to study. I never intrude, but I listen for sounds coming from inside. And that's one way I form my characters.
Read about one particular character in Broken Promises, book #1 of The Promise Series. Her name was Patricia.
Or book #2, A Promise of Revenge and the character who preferred living in the woods after having served in the military.  
Happy Wednesday and happy reading.

"A Promise of Revenge," book #2 in The Promise Series.
Serious threats to eradicate Alice Sweeney's existence, take the young mother with her baby daughter underground. Her scarred veteran husband, with an arsenal of weapons, becomes her stalker.
Doctor Francesco DeRosa searches for life's meaning after losing his beloved wife to an incurable disease he couldn't fix. He becomes a workaholic to repair the gaping wound to his heart.
An old friendship between Alice and Francesco develops into an amorous, impassioned but forbidden relationship. To save a little girl's life, they must work out their differences. An abduction and a brave encounter with death, turn out to have an unexpected ending.

Lighthouses amaze me. I somehow picture an inside dim light, a warm and cozy atmosphere, crashing waves heard over the crackle of a fireplace, and solitude. With that mindset, that's how I begin my stories. Oh --- and my dog Luna by my side.

But to be more practical, I get up in the middle of the night, fix a nice cappuccino and while Luna sleeps, I begin to write.

Pick up a good book this weekend and tell me what kind of atmosphere your prefer when reading. I'd love to read or answer your questions below.
Go to http://www.amazon.com/author/ckalber to read experts from "Broken Promises" and "A Promise of Revenge."
Happy reading.    

A picture from Peru. Thanks to my daughter Cindy traveling there today (10/12/2016) and ready for the big climb.
My family and I love our world-wide travels. Different cultures, fabulous cuisines and making lasting friends intertwine with those trips abroad and will stay in our hearts forever. But saying good-bye isn't always easy.
When I lived in Europe, I met many women inching their way from poverty-stricken countries, across borders to find work. Leaving husbands and children behind and never knowing when they could meet again. Documents were generally not in order, so the risk of returning to their homeland was too great for most of them.
Nadia, from Ukraine, comes to mind. In the beginning she made the trip back and forth to her broken down, country-side home, by paying for a secure and safe ride along the way. She hid the money for her family in the hems of her clothes, and the payoff money for a peaceful travel in her tattered wallet. The bus took hours to arrive before she could once again hug her young daughter.
Years passed. Nadia's daughter is a young woman now, university age and still in Ukraine. Nadia continues to travel there and keeps her house cleaning job in a country that "let her stay."
My Women's Fiction story about Nadia and the other women is in the making. Names have been changed but you might be surprised to find out why Nadia (I kept her first name) stayed on in the country where she now resides.
www.ckalber.com
       

Behind every window there is a story.
When you pass someone on the street, or people watch from afar, do you ever wonder what their story might be? A furrowed brow might suggest stress, a broken heart, the loss of a loved one --- or just maybe "where did I park my car." Writers study expressions wherever they go. That's how we form our characters. When I see someone smiling or shedding tears, I try to imagine what their story might be and I take mental notes.  How many times have I watched a couple embrace in an airport, holding on for dear life, tears welling, and put together their story in my mind?
One day while waiting  outside of the airport for my ride, I noted the woman beside me sniffling, blowing her nose quite often. This went on for some time until I asked if I could help her in some way. She said "I missed my flight."
At this point I began to wonder why missing a flight could make her cry and this is what I came up with. The wedding of a loved one, a funeral, or maybe helping someone through an illness. And that's where my mental notes began.