by Ann Warner
“I can have them ready for you Thursday. Please. I’d like this last chance, to, to—” A sob that was totally genuine cut off her words.
Through the tears, she tried to gauge how her request was being viewed. Her step-uncle appeared annoyed, but Ms. Ross was attempting a compassionate look. A definite stretch.
“I’ll compromise with you.” The woman glanced at Martin. “You can go for your ride in the morning. I’ll pick the children up at two.”
Would Martin buy a quick capitulation, or would he be suspicious?
He looked irritably at his watch, and Luz decided she didn’t need to lay it on any thicker. He’d bought her cooperation act, likely because he found it impossible to believe she would cross him.
As soon as Martin and Ms. Ross were gone, Luz put Carlito down for a nap. She came back to the living room and was surprised to find Marisol asleep on the couch. She hoped Marisol hadn’t overheard, or if she had, that she hadn’t understood what the visit was about.
While Marisol and Carlito slept, Luz went methodically through the house collecting items and moving them into the trunk of her mother’s car. First were the photo albums, but she also took linens, towels, kitchen supplies, a cooler filled with food, all of Marisol and Carlito’s clothes and Carlito’s stroller and high chair. She ran the dirty clothes through the laundry and added them to the growing pile of things in the car, all the activity giving her some relief from the rage and fear Martin had left behind.
As she packed, she thought about where they’d go and what they’d do for money. Then she remembered that Papi kept cash in the bottom drawer of his dresser, something she’d discovered while playing dress-up years ago.
With a sigh of relief, she found the black wallet had $320 in it. It wouldn’t take them far, but it would get them out of Scottsbluff and give her time to plan.
She also pocketed the credit and bank cards she found with the money and gathered together Mami’s jewelry and went through Papi’s desk. Among her finds were the title to Mami’s car, Marisol and Carlito’s birth certificates, and her own birth certificate and citizenship papers. Running out of time, she piled the remaining files into a couple of boxes.
By the time Carlito and Marisol woke up, she had the car packed. She played quietly with the children until dinnertime. After dinner, she bathed them and got them dressed in their nightclothes. By then, exhausted, she curled up with Marisol in their parents’ bed and managed to sleep until midnight when the alarm woke her. She drank a cup of instant coffee and forced herself to eat a sandwich.
Carlito didn’t awaken when she carried him to the car, and Marisol awoke only briefly. Luz backed down the driveway, heart thudding, and drove a block before turning on her lights. The gas tank was half full, so she went to the nearest station and filled it, charging it to the credit card.
She was removing the nozzle from the gas tank when a car pulled in behind her. Her nerves stuttered, but the driver, a tired-looking woman in a waitress uniform, barely glanced at her. Sighing with relief, Luz got back in the car, then with a burst of inspiration drove to the nearest cash machine and put the bank card in. As a pin, she entered the date Papi and Mami got married. The number worked, but the machine gave her only two hundred dollars. Still, it was a welcome addition to her tiny stash.
She left town, heading southwest, toward Denver. Maybe this was the wrong thing to do—running away. But she could see no other choice. She had to get away from Scottsbluff where Martin was in control.
She drove over a hill, and the glow from the lights of Scottsbluff snuffed out behind her.
Persistence of Dreams is now available in electronic and print formats.
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About the Author
The books Ann loved most as a child were those about horses. After reading Mary O’Hara’s Wyoming ranch stories, she decided she would one day marry a rancher and own a racehorse—although not necessarily in that order.
Since it was clear to Ann, after reading My Friend Flicka and Green Grass of Wyoming, that money could be a sore point between ranchers and their wives, not to mention racehorses don’t come cheap, she decided appropriate planning was needed. Thus she appended a “rich” to the rancher requirement.
But when she started dating, there were no ranchers in the offing, rich or otherwise. Instead, Ann fell in love with a fellow graduate student at the University of Kansas. Not only does her husband not share her love of horses, he doesn’t even particularly like them, given that one stepped on him with deliberate intent when he was ten.
After years in academia, Ann took a turn down another road and began writing fiction. In this her first novel, originally published by Samhain Publishing on Christmas Day 2007, and scheduled for re-release in 2015, the protagonist is both a university professor and part–time rancher—proof perhaps that dreams never truly go away, but continue to exert their influence in unexpected ways.
Those unexpected influences continue to play a role in Ann’s succeeding books.
Acknowledgments
First, I wish to acknowledge, Jennifer Miller. Jennifer edited the Samhain edition of the novel, and working with her, my first experience with an editor, was both a pleasure and an education.
Writing can be a lonely endeavor, but I have been blessed with wonderful writer friends who are always willing to lend a sympathetic ear when I need it, and who are also able to provide me with feedback on my writing that never fails to inspire me. Thank you, Angelene Jamison-Hall, Roger Collins, Daphne Wedig, Judy Carpenter, Jayne Close.
And special thanks to author Sharon Cullen for suggesting the perfect ending.
This book would not be the same without all of you.
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Reading Group Guide
Dreams for Stones
1. Dreams for Stones opens with Alan Francini visiting a mountain lake. What does the lake symbolize for Alan and why do you think Ann chose that as the opening scene? Was it a good choice?
2. As the story begins, Kathy is engaged. How does that engagement and its ending affect how she reacts to Alan?
3. When Alan and Kathy meet, both have already decided something about love. What is Kathy’s decision? Alan’s? At what point do they each discover these decisions run counter to their future happiness?
4. How do Alan’s difficulties at the University affect what happens in the story?
5. The novel celebrates the resilience of the human heart. How does Ann use this theme to tell her story? Is a need for such resilience something you have experienced in your life?
6. Dreams for Stones is also about friendship. How does Emily affect Kathy’s life? How does Delia’s illness affect both Kathy and Alan? How does Charles’s decision to end his relationship with Kathy affect his friendship with Alan? Have you had any similar experiences with friendship?
7. Is Elaine’s interference in her brother’s life justified? If she hadn’t interfered what do you think would have happened?
8. How does Alan cope with his grief at the beginning of the book? Once you learn what happened to his wife, do you believe he will be able to recover? What part do Angela Taylor, Charles, and Kathy play in helping Alan to heal? Do you know someone who has responded to grief the way Alan has? How did they heal?
9. Stones are an important motif in the novel. Where are they used and what is their significance? Can you identify other recurring motifs?
10. Although the characters experience loss, at the end of the book is there a feeling of hope and resolution? Do you believe Alan and Kathy are ready to make a life together?
11. Which story, scene, or motif (e.g. Emily’s diaries, Bobby and Brad, friendship, grief, endings, beginnings) resonated with you the most? Do you know why?
Other Titles by Ann Warner
Doubtful Sound, New Zealand: For Dr. Van Peters, Doubtful is a retreat after a false accusation all but ends her scientific career. For David Christianson, Doubtful is a place of respit
e after a personal tragedy is followed by an unwelcome notoriety.
Neither is looking for love or even friendship. Each wants only to make it through another day. But when violence comes to Doubtful, Van and David’s only chance of survival will be each other.
Readers’ Comments
. . . a wonderfully written story with well-rounded and real characters in a setting that Ann evokes with such detail and sensibility you are instantly transported to this remote New Zealand coast. I love Ann’s writing style—intelligent and unsentimental—with characters you are rooting for to the very end. —Jayne Close
If you like exciting books set in interesting locations, this one is for you. Warner has created characters we really care about, then she proceeds to present them with some really tough challenges. —Margaret Johnson, author of The Goddess Workshop
This book has the lot—mystery, suspense, romance and something extra I enjoyed as an Australian reader—I found myself lingering over Warner’s vivid descriptions of places I’ve never seen but would love to visit in Australia and New Zealand. —Juli Townsend, author of Absent Children.
Available as a free download here
The memory of an act committed when she was nineteen weaves a dark thread through Clen McClendon’s life. It is a darkness Clen ignores until the discovery of her husband’s infidelity propels her on a quest for her own redemption and forgiveness. At first, her journeying provides few answers and peace remains elusive. Then Clen makes a decision that is both desperate and random to go to Wrangell, Alaska. There she will meet Gerrum Kirsey and learn that choices are never truly random, and they always have consequences.
Readers’ Comments
Absence of Grace is a riveting read of personal struggle, very much recommended reading. —The Midwest Book Review
The writing is perfect. Absolutely smooth and divine. Like the best bar of chocolate in the world. — Fran Macilvey, author of Trapped
Art, science, love, and ambition collide as a dancer on the verge of achieving her dreams is badly injured. Afterward, Clare Eliason rushes into a marriage with Rob Chapin, a scientist. The marriage falters, propelling Clare and Rob on journeys of self-discovery. Rob joins a scientific expedition to Peru, where he discovers how easy it is to die. Clare’s journey, which takes her only a few blocks from the Boston apartment she shared with Rob, is no less profound. During their time apart, each will have a chance to save a life. One will succeed, one will not. Finally, they will face the most difficult quest of all, navigating the space that lies between them.
Readers’ Comments
Counterpointe is not your traditional love story, just as Ann Warner is not your typical author. Ann’s brilliant, well-thought-out prose lifts her stories to a higher literary level than most of today’s fare. If you’re looking for a. . . thoroughly satisfying journey that takes your imagination from tragedy to self-discovery, with all of the tears and joys along the way, you should pick up Counterpointe and prepare to be impressed. — Pam Berehulke, Bulletproof Editing
The chemistry between Clare and Rob is crackling. LOVE IT! — Kate Moretti, NY Times bestselling author of Thought I Knew You
Reading your work is like coming home to a good friend I know I can trust. . . there is nothing I don’t like here. . . you wrote another brilliant story. Thank you. — Fran McIlvey, author of Trapped
A freighter collides with a yacht and abandons the survivors. A couple is left behind by a dive boat.
These are the dramatic events that force changes in maritime attorney Max Gildea’s carefully organized life, where, win, lose, or settle out of court, he gets paid and paid handsomely. As he represents the only survivor of the yacht sinking and gets involved in the search for the couple missing from a dive trip, his reawakening emotions catapult him into the chaos of sorrow and joy that are the necessary ingredients of a life lived fully.
Readers’ Comments
Love and Other Acts of Courage is. . . beautiful. The plot is engaging and it focused on the development of the characters. . . and the ending (is) very satisfying. — Lorena Sanqui for Readers’ Favorite
Love and Other Acts of Courage is a love story woven within an engaging mystery with twists and turns, believable villains, and enough tension to keep you turning pages. — Dete Meserve, author of Good Sam
. . . the characterization of Max, Jake, and Sophie is done so delicately, so perfectly, that each alone would be worthy of a separate story. In short, Love and Other Acts of Courage is so much more than a love story. — Kate Moretti, NY Times Bestselling author of Binds that Tie
Glenna Girard has passed through the agony and utter darkness of an unimaginable loss. It is only in planning her escape, from her marriage and her current circumstances, that she manages to start moving again, toward a place where she can live in anonymity and atone for the unforgivable mistake she has made.
As she takes tentative steps into the new life she is so carefully shaping, she has no desire to connect with other people. But fate has other ideas, bringing her a family who can benefit from her help if only she will give it. And a man, Jack Ralston, who is everything she needs to live fully again, if Glenna will just let herself see it.
Readers’ Comments
. . . you don’t want to miss this inspirational story. — David Johnson, author of The Tucker Series
A lovely and compelling story. — Michelle Lam, author of The Accidental Prophetess
Moving to Puerto Rico might sound like a dream to some people, but for Maggie Chase it’s more of a challenge than she’s looking for. Maggie, who has a PhD in biochemistry, agreed to put her husband’s career first after the birth of their daughters, and that has now led to Mike accepting the position of CEO of the Lillith Pharmaceuticals plant in San Juan. Struggling to fit into the bilingual, Latin culture of Puerto Rico, Maggie’s adjustment is aided by the friendships she develops. Friendships that bring both dark and light into her life, and eventually demand of her an inner strength and resilience she didn’t know she was capable of.
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