Friday, October 18, 2013

Introducing Brenda Whiteside



I feel privileged to introduce to you today another author from Valley of the Sun Romance Writers, Brenda Whiteside and her book Amanda in the Summer.

Three generations of women…and the secret that strengthens their love.

A line of women, all named Amanda, stretches back for generations. Each with her hopes, her joys, her pain—each pouring out her heart in correspondence with a dear family friend who shares their lives, understands their loves, and joins in their sorrows.

But within the correspondence lies a secret. And as the youngest of the Amanda’s retraces the journey through the years—beginning in post-war America and following through to modern day—the letters reveal, layer by layer, the Amandas who came before her. Soon, the truths and lies hidden in the letters lead her down a path of self-discovery that forges a bond between her past and future.


Excerpt:

August 24, 1968

Dear Tilly,

A few days of bliss with no one to talk to but the
seagulls. I have you to thank for this. I’m so glad you
popped back after Amanda, Robert, and Mother left. The
strain I put on all of us while you were here would’ve
dragged on for who knows how long if you hadn’t
returned. Once again, Tilly, you read the tea leaves and
righted things.

My moods have been so ragged of late. Jealousy of
all things. Jealous that you could talk to my daughter,
get along so lovely with her, which I’ve had difficulty
doing these last few months. Jealous of your longer
running friendship with Robert than with me. I’m not
sure if I was jealous of him or you. You’re both mine.
And angry that the two of you are uncomfortable around
each other after so many years and not making sense of
that. When Robert left, I tried to give him the blue
swimsuit you had left behind and asked him to drop in
on you to return it. He said no, I could do it when I got
back. This was so unlike him and did more to unsettle
me...

Visit Brenda at www.brendawhiteside.com.
She blogs on the 9th and 24th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com
She blogs about prairie life and writing at http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/


6 comments:

Brenda Whiteside said...

Thanks so much for having me today. Love the name of your blog!

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

Brenda, Thank you. We're all happy to have you visiting us and we hope you have a good time. Your new book, Amanda in the Summer, sounds great. Both of us have it on our TBR list.

Ashantay said...

Brenda, enjoyed the post and your excerpt - best wishes with Amanda!

Brenda Whiteside said...

Thank you, Ashantay!
And thanks again to Tia Dani!

Tina Swayzee McCright said...

We wish you the best with your book and your career. Thank you for visiting our site.