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Ten
Times Have the Lilies Blown
San Juan Silver Stave, Winter 2002-03 by Kathryn Retzler
Long known
for her poetry and paintings, Erickson has combined the lushness
of both in this, her first novel. The characters are richly
drawn, and the reader is quickly drawn to them an unmistakable
sign that a good story is sure to unfold. The setting is a
fictitious town on the plains, the main character, Melora,
a young woman who, after spending years caring for her mother
and serving as the local librarian, falls in love with the
wrong man. Charming but unscrupulous, he absolutely determined
to use her for his own ends. Melora has inherited a supposedly
worthless oil field. Blake knows it could be worth millions!
Toss in
an ensemble of characters including an ailing mother, a young
boy looking for a mother and his “granddad” who is about Melora’s
own age and the county sheriff. Mix well with an old unsolved
murder and a pending new one, and Erickson has cooked up a
great story.
Mary Erickson’s
poems and paintings have appeared in the Silver Stage over
the last few years. She has won numerous awards, including
first place in both poetry and creative writing for a competition
sponsored by the American Association of University women
and Mesa State College Foundation. She lives in Grand Junction,
Colo. Erickson’s book is available through PublishAmerica
of Baltimore, www.publishamerica.com and at local bookstores,
including Readmore Books, Hastings and Barnes & Nobles
in Grand Junction, Colo.
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