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Benton
County Rose by Sue Ellen Willett
Historical
Fiction Novel Takes You on a Sentimental Journey
Iowa Author
and Benton County native, Sue Ellen Willett, writes a novel
that evokes memories of the 1940’s. Her book is a nostalgic
journey that captures the lifestyle of small town Iowa as
well as the beauty of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay in an unforgettable
story of love, courage and family traditions. An adventurous
young farmer’s daughter encounters many obstacles, hardships
and adventures while trying to fulfill her dreams of becoming
a nurse during World War II. The plot twists and turns to
hold your interest to the very last page.
The setting for the book begins on what is now the family’s
century farm just outside a small town in Benton County. The
novel is based on real characters and real events. Willett
spent a great deal of time researching the small town in Benton
County to capture the attitudes and lifestyle of this time
period. Willett came up with the idea for her book after her
mother took her through the farmhouse, built in 1854, after
she had redecorated it. “My mother was so excited to restore
the family farmhouse. We researched décor so that she
could fix it up just as she remembered it when she was growing
up there,” explains Willett.
Both Willett’s
parents have since passed away and she celebrates their lives
with her book. Sue co-authored her first cookbook with her
mother in 1989, and credits her parents as her inspiration
for this book. Drawing on her experiences of growing up with
the ever-present family farm in the background, family vacations
to Baltimore, and family stories about nursing school and
army service during WWII gave the author a wealth of ideas
on which to base the book. Willett knew right away, when she
learned that PublishAmerica wanted to publish her book, that
it was the right match. It is a Baltimore publisher.
Sue shares
a special family recipe in her novel and has written a song
for Benton County Rose called, Gazebo Waltz, which is included
in the book. “I wanted to write an original song that had
the feel of a 1940’s song.” All the chapters of the book are
named after songs from the era. “I grew up singing those songs
with my parents,” Willett explains. “They loved to sing and
they knew many songs from that era.
Willett
wrote this novel with the desire to touch people’s lives in
a positive way through a fictional story that celebrates patriotism,
family and traditions to pass on for generations.
Benton
County Rose is now available in bookstores and can be ordered
through www. PublishAmerica.com., www.bentoncountyrose.com.,
or on-line bookstores.
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