Forbidden - Just Released

After publishing five nonfiction books, I had the yearning to write a novel. Ninety-eight thousand words later, the novel is complete, and on the shelves in bookstores. I'm already working on the sequel.

Set in England and Scotland during the mid 1600s, the story is fast paced, dark and edgy in places. It is loosely based on an intriguing Scottish legend that I remember well from my childhood growing up in England. Most believed the legend to be true, including my grandmother who would fearfully whisper the names of the wicked individuals. As an adult, I researched the story and realized there may be some truth to the legend. Indeed, the BBC did a documentary about it and tried to find the subterranean cave that is a key part of the story.

Synopsis

As a child, Catherine MacDonald was left at a priory by her mother who never returns to claim her. As an adult, Catherine becomes a nun, but a chance meeting at Hadleigh Castle with the Earl of Essex and a strange young girl, changes Catherine's life forever. She is determined to find her mother, and sets off for Scotland. During her journey, she sees the injustices of life outside the cloistered priory; the downtrodden and the poor, those afflicted with leprosy and the plague. She witnesses the desperation a woman feels when she has no man to support her, and realizes that one mistake can change a woman's life forever – perhaps a woman just like her mother.

At the conclusion, Catherine learns the bitter truth about her mother’s life. She is devastated by the discovery, and wonders how she will ever overcome the horrifying legacy.

Woven into the story are actual historical events and people such as Lawrence Washington, great-great-grandfather of President George Washington, the Sherman family in the County of Essex and Reverend Mompesson in Eyam, Derbyshire.

ISBN 978-1-935605-34-8.

For more information please go to: http://www.evwallace.com/

Author and Artist

Audrey Ledgerwood (left) and Elizabeth Wallace

Having just finished my first novel, Forbidden, I was wondering what image would be used for the front cover. Since I belong to an art class, I had an idea. I asked the publisher if he would consider reviewing paintings from my group. Once I had his agreement, I gave everyone a synopsis, some general ideas, location, setting, time of year, etc. and off they went to work. Two weeks later, I had a little collection of paintings that I scanned and submitted to the publisher. I think everyone was pleased when he chose Audrey Ledgerwood’s illustration. According to the publisher, “We think Audrey’s illustration best represents the story…”

Audrey Ledgerwood is a local artist and illustrator. She currently lives in Aurora, Colorado, with her husband. She loves to paint, play bocce ball, and enjoys playing bridge.

The Space Needle - Seattle

Finally, on the fifth day of our journey from Denver to Washington, we reached Seattle. This photograph was taken at our son’s place of business. Although I have seen the image of the Space Needle in documentaries and movies over the years, I have always wanted to see it for myself.

The Space Needle looms majestically above the Seattle skyline. Built for the 1962 World Fair, it reaches 605 feet into the air and weighs a monstrous 9,500 tons. Millions of people have visited the site which is thought to be one of the most recognized landmarks in the USA. At the top there is a nice place to eat, drink and observe the fantastic panoramic views of the Seattle skyline. On the lower level, there is a well stocked gift shop for books and souvenirs. It was a wonderful visit. The staff could not have been nicer or friendlier.
For more information: http://www.spaceneedle.com/

Along the Way - Beachtown Coffee

As we continued our journey from Denver to Seattle, we stopped often for coffee and snacks. Once such place was the Beachtown Coffee shop in Lincoln City, Oregon. The owners really made us feel welcome during our short visit, and told us about the area and the people. As we were chatting, the owner did a little decoration on my cup of coffee. She did such a good job, I couldn't help but take a photo.

Inside the shop are gifts and souvenirs, delicious pastries and smoothies. It was a great place to stop.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse - Oregon

There are so many wonderful lighthouses along the Oregon coastline, that it would be difficult to mention them all. However, the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, in my opinion, is one of the more spectacular of the bunch. It is one of the most frequently visited lighthouses in the area and well worth the visit. Volunteers boast the lighthouse can be seen from 19 miles out to sea, and stands a lofty 162 feet above sea level.

The flashing beacon of light guiding fishermen away from the perilous shoreline was first lit on August 20th, 1873, but it was not built without controversy. Two boats perished as they tried to deliver supplies during the construction of the lighthouse. Some people say the lighthouses along the coastline are haunted, while others dispute the urban legend.

For more information on Oregon Lighthouses, go to:
http://www.nwcoast.com/lighthouses/oregon/yaquinahead.asp

Monday Night - Bend, Oregon

What's better than a beer and burger after a day of travelling? Our destination Deschutes Brewery which has been producing excellent brews since 1988. They rovided us an excellent meal, good and courteous service and a fine atmosphere.

The following was taken from their web site.

 Deschutes Brewery, located in Central Oregon along the banks of the wild and scenic Deschutes River, has brewed a family of handcrafted ales since 1988. Starting out as a small brewpub in the heart of downtown Bend, Deschutes’ first beers were Black Butte Porter, Bachelor Bitter and Cascade Golden Ale.

 In 1993, Deschutes moved into its current brewing facility and has continued expanding and improving the facilities. With a 50-barrel traditional gravity brew house and a new one-of-a-kind 131-barrel Huppmann brew system from Germany, Deschutes now creates and experiments with specialty batches of limited beers like The Abyss and Hop Trip while brewing large quantities of everyone’s favorites like Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Consistently producing the highest quality beers is always Deschutes’ number one priority and commitment.

 Our Beers

 Deschutes Brewery’s courageously crafted ales include Black Butte Porter, Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Obsidian Stout, Inversion IPA, Green Lakes Organic Ale, Bachelor ESB, Cascade Ale, Red Chair NWPA (spring), Twilight Ale (summer), and Jubelale (fall). Bond Street Series, Reserve Series and other experimental beers are available at our pubs and can be found where good beer is sold.

For more information go to: http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/

Jackson Hole and the Tetons

Leaving the Lava Lodge at 6:30 AM, we were amazed at the amount of snow on the mountain passes. The Grand Tetons loomed majestically on the horizon as the sun rose in the bright morning sky. It was truly magical!

We arrived in Jackson Hole for breakfast. The town is notorious for its beautiful scenery, shopping and restaurants. I highly recommend the area to visitors, and wished I could have spent more time enjoying it myself, but we had to get going. There are simply too many interesting things to see and do in the town, but since I love history, I opted to visit the John Pierce Cunningham home. Built in 1885 by the man himself, it is now an historic site. The design is similar to homes that were being built in Virginia during this period. The front elevation has a double-pen or “dog trot” with a room located on either side of the breezeway. The home is set in a glorious meadow with the Grand Tetons as a back drop.

Cunningham began hunting and trapping, mostly to sustain himself, but he probably sold the excess pelts to supplement his income for buying supplies.

Over the years he added other buildings and fortified them. All are gone now, the only evidence are the foundations. In any case, they give us an insight to the actual size of the development. At the time, it must have been a formidable settlement as Cunningham buttressed his home against the Native (Bannack) Indians.

The Cunningham household also saw some violent acts. In 1895, the home was the scene of a vicious shootout between a posse and two horse thieves. Both thieves were shot and killed near the cabin and therefore did not hang for their crime.

Cunningham was a dutiful and interesting man who served as the original county commissioner when Teton County was first organized in 1923. He also served as the postmaster, game warden and justice of the peace over the years.