Leaving everything behind, Lori Moyer leaves Wisconsin in search of a meaningful life romance and adventure in Oregon. But will the price of her desire be her life.
Empty and sick at heart over what she is leaving behind her, threatened by a punishing blizzard descending from the north, Lori Moyer drives white knuckled across Montana toward her dream of romance and adventure in the far west. Suddenly her car and trailer hit black ice hurling into a death-defying spin. Years of experience driving Wisconsin’s icy roads, tell Lori not to touch the brakes, and she emerges unscathed but paralyzed by fear and tossed into a storm of self-doubt. Heart beating wildly, her wide eyes fasten on the image of the Western Star emblazoned on the freight liner lumbering up alongside. When the teamster calls down from the cab “Santa put Lady Luck in yer sock,” she realizes she has another chance, feels grateful and embraces the Western Star as her talisman to shine away thoughts of being too old, alone and out of place. She continues to spare the brakes on her midlife quest for a meaningful life, calling up all she knows to help out the children of Lucky Strike Oregon. Indeed Lori spins by starlight through the “valley of alone” steering headlong into the arms of a host of Oregon’s colorful characters. It is a gem of a story set in the Cascades as hauntingly beautiful as a Holly Blue agate flanked by wild mountain iris— but as dangerous as black ice.
Excerpt
Fiddling the Whippoorwill
Later, Lori thought of a poem she had read about a mountain boy in a fiddling contest with the Devil. With his bow across his hand-made fiddle, the boy captures fire on the mountain, a sashay round, pop goes the weasel an’ Moses comin’ down, the possum in the pot and even the sound of the mountain whippoorwill singing in the mountain laurel, as “all hell breaks out in Georgia,” and he wins his contest fiddling up a love song from the mountain. As she listened to the man, like in the poem, she felt his passion married with a keen turn of phrase, but she was not sure, nor was she ever sure, if he was the fiddler boy or the Devil.
Professional Reviews
Reviewed By Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers' Favorite
Susan Carnes' Epiphany: Starting Over in Oregon reflects the soul of a woman. At the height of success, Lori Meyers leaves her marriage of twenty-six years and her family farm in Wisconsin. Tapping into her dormant spirit of adventure, Lori heads west to Oregon, searching for a place of refuge. When her car spins out of control on an icy road in Montana, Lori realizes her life is a gift and she shouldn't waste it. An "aha" moment! Riddled with guilt and shame, Lori seeks an escape, a do-over in life. Her desire for peace and solace is interrupted by a stranger. Gayle is a man of mystery, charisma, and provocative charm. This unexpected meeting lures her into the essence of her surroundings. Lori finds herself falling in love again, putting together the pieces of her broken life. Oregon, with its raw beauty and rare and unusual folk, wins her over. Out of the darkness of the unknown, Lori finds her way to freedom.
Epiphany: Starting Over in Oregon is a story of endings and beginnings, heartache, and humor, confusion, and enlightenment. Odd, amusing, frightening and real, the narrative is strangely entertaining. Susan Carnes reveals the fierce fragility locked within her heroine's mind. The theme, repeated several times within the story, of "one teaches best what one most needs to learn" links the heroine to her destiny. The female protagonist portrays strength, vulnerability, innocence, and wisdom. On occasion, the point of view switches from the main character to a supporting character, and when this occurs, the character's soul and intent surface, reflecting the depth of individual persona. This unique writing style creates a balance in the characterization.
Carnes' descriptions are romantic and sensory. She invites you into the panorama of Oregon's landscape by including historical tidbits and vivid word illustrations. Carnes inserts poems within the prose, and although beautiful and profound, not all the poetry flows. I would love to read an anthology of this poetry in a separate book, as deep thoughts are expressed in her poetic words. The conclusion is refreshing and positive, leaving the reader with hope for tomorrow.
Heart and Soul of an Artist
Sue Carnes has the heart and soul of an artist – perceiving and experiencing the world in tremendous detail, color and form. Although primarily a graphic artist, in Epiphany: Starting over in Oregon, it is through language that she paints the vibrant episodes of her transformation from fear and guilt to understanding and acceptance.
A soul too inherently joyous to remain imprisoned in a meaningless marriage and too adventurous to remain in her beloved Wisconsin, Carnes takes the reader along with her protagonist, Lori Meyer, as she discovers new landscapes, meets characters who are larger than life, and follows the trail of an ever-growing recognition of who she is.
I was fascinated by Carnes’ capacity to create pictures with words both in her prose and poetry, as well as her in-depth knowledge of all things physical – including riding horses, tractors and rototillers. I admired her work ethic, one so powerful that it enabled her to push way beyond her physical capacity when facing the demands at the school where she works as a counselor – or while converting the rough, brambly hillside outside her new home into a flowering paradise.
In Epiphany, Carnes exposes the vulnerability of women and children in the frighteningly macho environment she settles in. She shares her attempts, as a counselor, to provide security and self-worth to those whom she counsels. Again, her creativity rises to the surface as she finds a way to embed a lasting legacy in the hearts of her young students.
It was inspiring to see how her strong moral fibre gave her the strength to go beyond the heartache of a love gone wrong and to try to make it right.
Lori’s escapades kept me holding my breath throughout the book. Each time she guilelessly stepped into danger, I had to keep reading until I knew she was safe again!
Transforming fear Through Love
I just loved reading "Epiphany. Starting Over in Oregon." Carnes really tells a story, but the part I like the most is that she fills all of the adventures with meaning. Her poetry is so beautiful, too. It seems to be the place she starts for inspiration, and also where everything is summed up at the end. The descriptions of those Oregon characters were singular, so many interesting people. And the job as a counselor in the Oregon Cascades; how brave Lori was in spite or her fear! I keep thinking of the Mayan belief that fear is overcome by working with your heart and that's what Lori did in Oregon. She opened her heart to all of those people and during that process, fear turned to love. And there was the final poem "An Oregon Kind of Love." Love, love, loved it.
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