September
on Echo Creek
 
A single ethical concession, requested
by her fiancé, forces Gaylynn Nelson to take a trip that ignites a
series of dizzying events changing the lives of friends and family in
her Manhattan home and in the rural mountains of western North Carolina.
In September on Echo Creek, a character driven novel, the affluent
socialite protagonist is confronted by her conscience and her life style
in this story of cultural clash and betrayal. During a period of thirty
days she is forced to accept the fact her future is threatened, not by
an acknowledged adversary, but by those who profess love for her. With
the help of friends, old and new, Gaylynn faces redefining whom she
is—and survives an attempt on her life.
A story of a woman who breaks her family-imposed bonds to become her
own person, September on Echo Creek is a novel that illustrates
how everyday events lead people to become enmeshed in circumstances that
rock their worlds. It empowers those how struggle similarly by showing
how new friends, a change of environment, even lyrics to a song can
liberate them.
The following excerpt portrays
how Gaylynn comes to grips with changing her life and makes her bargain
with it, even though she knows she has major trials left to face:
Her
paints mixed and lodged on the pallet, Gaylynn set upon the task of
making each stroke, each daub of paint a perfect reproduction of what
her eyes saw. Her feelings
for the spot would not allow her to do otherwise.
She wanted to remember every rock, every fern, the exact
structure of the rock formation creating the falls, the way the water
cascaded down to the clear pool below.
These objects, stable as the streambed Echo Creek’s waters
flowed through, were dear to her, reverent parts of a new life she hoped
for. The place and its
people were fresh and honest—symbolic of the life she sought.
In
attempting to make the painting precisely what she saw, the scene on the
canvas and the murmuring waters revealed another truth.
As there had been changes within Gaylynn during her September on
Echo Creek, there were subtle changes to the stream’s surroundings.
Summer’s lush green was evolving into fall’s old olive with
the first hints of gold, tan, red and orange soon to follow, appearing
in the foliage. The best
she could do was catch a fleeting image and record it, for Echo Creek
was a never-ending work in progress.
These changes would continue until time ceased to exist for this
magical spot. The falling
waters told Gaylynn she must understand life is the same.
And content in that knowledge, Gaylynn resumed painting, her
heart holding the brush.
This novel features the
original lyrics to It's Only Love by Melissa Wade and Wild Blue
Yonder and is incorporated in the plot line at a critical point in this
tale of human resurrection. The book is available with a CD
containing It's Only Love and 10 other original Wild Blue Yonder
songs recorded on this CD especially for the publication of September
On Echo Creek.
September On Echo Creek has
won several awards including a mainstream literary novel award from POW
(Promoting Outstanding Writers) and a "book of the month"
award from a Knoxville news network. Get a copy for your reading and
listening enjoyment.
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