Embers

"I wouldn't say I am in any particular position to tell a romance story over the next person, at least not the one that women really want to read. You know; the unrealistic love stories that women love to ideate and fantasize over that involves the perfect prince charming that comes swooping in as a savior in just the nick of time and allowing every woman's wish to be fulfilled. Everyone loves that story, including myself. My story is nothing of the sorts and my life has been just as complicated as anyone else's. I've had ups and downs, mundane days and sunny days, and I still haven't found my fantasy ending. But what I did find, is love. True love. A love that is not perfect by any means, but one that never leaves your heart and soul even in the presence of a new lover. A love that stays with you like a three o' clock shadow on a bright afternoon. A love that makes you question your emotional state of mind and stabs your heart fiercely when that love has been interrupted and left shapeless and fragmentary." A one-of-kind Historical Romance Novella based between 1929 to 1948. Told in multiple POVs, with epistolary elements (The main character uses old letters and diary entries for part of the story but not in its entirety.) If you love this time era, characters with opposite personalities, and quick reads . . . look no further. It's September 1941, and Adeline is working for the Densmore Daily as a journalist in Chicago. She comes across a writing contest in The New Yorker hosted by The Boulton Press. Winner of the best romance novel wins one-hundred dollars and a publication. She certainly isn't much of a fiction writer but thought to herself that this just might be the closure she needs by telling her own love story. After all, she hasn't heard from Charlie since he went back to England and the Second World War is well on its way. She pulls out her old diary and past letters from Charlie and begins writing her romance novel. Her story begins in Chicago 1929, when Adeline was a flapper girl, singer, drinker, and avid poker player. She thrived in the progressive era and soaked up every bit of freedom she found herself having as a woman. She was happy, wild, and free as a bird. She definitely wasn't looking for love, but then, there was Charlie, her opposite. He was a more conservative man from Charleston, South Carolina, who was an editor for the Tribune and soon to be a member of the U.S. military. She was in love. Deeply. But their short time together soon ended when Charlie had to leave for training, and she found another love . . . a love of fighting for women's rights. She wasn't ready for marriage and being tied down. She could admirably sacrifice love for the cause, so she thought. It would take fiery and untamed Adeline much soul searching to realize the burning flame of a true love never dies out, but Adeline's not the only one who put a roadblock in the way of fate. Is Adeline too late? Has the clock run out for her and Charlie or is time no match for true love?