You may have read about my late spouse John Palmer in my book Living With the Stranger in Me: An Exploration of Aging. John was 23 years older than I, and was grieving the loss of Edna, his wife of 46 years, when he came to me, her cousin.
Although John and I weren’t related by blood, it took time for us both to be comfortable with the idea that we could actually be together–so close were the familial bonds. Eventually, John came to live with me, and we became domestic partners, registered with the state of California.
John did not consider himself a writer until I encouraged him to write stories to help process his grief. Once started, however, he wrote story after story until, one day, he asked me if I thought he could write a book about hitchhiking across the country during the Great Depression. He was 89 at the time. I was privileged to be his guide on this journey, critiquing his work, typing his manuscript, and helping him look for a publisher. A Walk to Somewhere: On the Road During the Great Depression was published in 1993. His second book: Life After Edna, Surviving Loss, Reclaiming Life came out in 2004.
You can read an excerpt from A Walk to Somewhere on the website ePicaro, a Journal of Travels (http://epicaro.com)
Vision Books International is no longer in business, but I have a supply of John’s books in my garage. If you want a new book, you can contact me by leaving a post under “Speak Your Mind,” Send me your email in that post. I will not publish your email, but will reply and we can correspond and make arrangements for you to purchase John’s book.
I would imagine this book has relevance in today’s economy, and inspiration too! Please do email me, I would like to buy a copy and know more,