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|  | | Book 1 -- Building Atherton
In this first book of the Atherton Saga, the foundations are laid for the lives of those who will live in this community. Elizabeth struggles to find a balance between dream & reality—ideals & economics, values & socio-economic restrictions, gratitude for blessings & desire to achieve potential—while giving birth to her dream.
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26
Summary The story is told by an amazing young career woman who is going about her business and dealing fairly with her fellow humans. A lunch discussion with coworkers about what to do with copious amounts of money leads to an invitation to meet with a philanthropist. Realizing all the lives she could enhance convinces her to accept the offer for funding, despite caution from her suspicious father’s advice against it. The plan for a residential village for budding artists to create and sell their craft is going to become a reality. As land is purchased and permits secured for the project, the | | | | Book 2 -- Community
In this second book of the Atherton Saga, the residents are chosen. There are many personalities that make up a "community" and success depends on selecting the right people. Those generous individuals who have already joined the efforts to provide a "leg up" to others are struggling to choose the applicants who will be best served by the mission of Atherton. So many are deserving of the opportunity to live here, but only a few can be chosen.
If you had the choice, who would you choose as your neighbor and coworker?
Would you be someone your neighbor would choose to share a their struggles and successes with?
Finding a person’s true character when they know they are being screened for a position they desperately want can be a difficult task.
Elizabeth does not let her identity be know to the group and becomes “one of the applicants” to get an insider look at the potential residents. A pair of corporate team builders is hired to run the retreat along with Luke. Ms. Lotta Money drops in and is introduced as the project financier and many try to impress her because they believe she is the one making the selections. Bert and Bea, Crispin & his daughter, Evelynn, and the Phillip Stoddar | | | | Introduction to Atherton
In the Midwest, in the vast open space called the great plains, there is a city, a "Magic City", a prairie gem with all the culture & society of a coastal metropolis, yet retaining the neighborly charm of a frontier settlement. The family down the road is truly your neighbor & random acts of kindness are commonplace/part of everyday life. Here you can ask a neighbor how he is without being thought nosey. Where everyone feels like a big, happy family even if they are not related.
The road narrows as it leads out of town; the rows of houses give way to a checkerboard of crops & fallow. The droning, mechanical pace of the city gives way to gentle breezes and songs of the Meadowlark. At the heart of this quaint corner of heaven is a special community known to ALL the region as Atherton.
True to its name, a spring in the farmyard creates a ribbon which encircles the park & [it's inhabitants]. This haven is fortified against the travails of the world by a gateway. There is no wall or fence to obstruct the view of the by-passer, rather a stream that twines about the park, carrying serenity to all who sojourn here. As visitors traverse the entrance they are transported to another way of life.
This Eden has become the social center for the meek of the city, an oasis for the soul. Visitors come to retreat & inevitably take a piece of paradise home with them. Righteous families find Atherton a refreshing alternative to Malls filled w/Name Brand commercialism, Theatres dedicated to R-rated movies [theaters relying on social degradation to increase their profit], expensive restaurants dimmed by smoke, Night Clubs crowded with intoxicated mate seekers,... This is a place made for families. Wholesome, enriching activities abound. The focus is on family pastimes likely to induce memorable shared experiences. Enjoy homemade apple pie made from fruit organically grown under the supervision of the resident gardener. Purchase a future heirloom for a sister starting a new family handmade by a rising artisan.
This is the place where dreams and traditions are made.
Atherton provides a setting of many stories. In addition to the novels mentioned below, look forward to short stories featuring a moment in the life of various residents. These short stories will provide the material for contests and the opportunity to appear in magazines in order to build a portfolio of published work. Eventually, these stories will be published into an anthology providing bedtime length stories for young and old, alike. The exploits of the residents of Atherton will also be found in personal letters from the Estate Steward to her dear friends and family that will appear |
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