Beth Williamson: It Was About Who They Could Be

Plum Creek, Colorado 1875

ONCE UPON A TIME, THEY LOVED EACH OTHER

Nothing about the room that Eppie awakens in feels like home—not the furnishings, the ill-fitting clothes, or the Colorado sunlight streaming in through the windows. And certainly not the stranger with long dark hair and silver eyes who claims to have been waiting for her for three long years.

Micah Spalding has spent each day hoping that Eppie would open her eyes and return to him. Yet the Eppie he loved was spirited and outspoken—utterly different to this reserved, aloof woman. Since her injury, Eppie has no memory of Micah or their daughter, or of a passion that was powerful enough to defy every convention. And though his scent and touch trigger something deep within her, Eppie can’t bring herself to believe in him.

Once, when war between his countrymen had almost broken him, Eppie brought Micah back to life. Now he must find a way to reach through the distance between them and remind her of everything they once shared, and prove that he has belief enough for both of them…

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There are many facets to my release, The Redemption of Micah, not the least of which is the characters are emotionally and physically damaged. They each suffered in their own way, and struggled to overcome the mountains thrown in their path. I’ve thrown in quite a few including race, culture, age, an illegitimate child, and oh yes, amnesia.

I know what you’re thinking. Amnesia again? Sheesh! But I’ve taken it a step farther with Eppie – she loses who she is along the way and is caught between her past and her future. In addition, she discovers she’s given birth to a child while she was in a coma. She’s a very strong person though, if you remember her from Madeline’s story, and her challenge is to find out who she is beneath all the layers of confusion.

Micah on the other hand, has perfected the art of emotional self-flagellation. He constantly whips himself over what he has or hasn’t done, yet he loves Eppie desperately. He knows there are so many choices he’s made in his life that there’s no way he could ever make up for it. His obstacles are all self-made and his task is almost bigger than the woman he loves.

I think the theme underlying Micah and Eppie’s story is about who they could be. You see, they’d both lost their way, intentionally or not. Separately, they could not find the road back. Does that make sense? It’s as if they were two parts of the same whole, broken and in need of healing. It was only when they came together that they found who they could be. The best kind of relationship is one in which you find something about yourself you didn’t know existed. Micah found his soul again while Eppie found her heart again.

These aren’t physical things, but rather spiritual. I think in a story that is important for a character to grow, to change, to heal. Micah’s path is bumpy as a backroad on a mountain. While Eppie’s is more like a valley full of pot holes she sank into, figuratively speaking of course.

It’s not about the difference in their skin color, their backgrounds or even their age difference. It’s about the love their shared, about how that love was the balm that healed their wounds and allowed them to be who they could be. I’d like to believe we can all be a better person when we meet the person who makes us whole, our other half. Very romantic of me, I know. LOL. Imagine that, a romance novelist who is a romantic? Who’da thunk it?

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To learn more and read excerpts visit Ms Williamson’s website at www.bethwilliamson.com and remember to leave a comment here to enter the drawing–two lucky winners will get either a signed copy of the upcoming The Redemption of Micah or a signed copy of The Education of Madeline.