Polite Society

by

Colleen Sohn

Illustrated by

Maren Jensen

In a small Oregon town, the widowed Sharon connects with her long-dead husband via secret acts of sabotage, of the variety that are meant for good, not ill. In this same town, Serena, a girl of ten, happily lives with her grandmother; her parents on the fringe of her life, giving money, books, and little else. Out of the blue, Bob Barker of The Price is Right fame begins to visit Serena in her dreams, providing glimpses of the future and the past, and uniting her with Sharon the saboteur. The pair forge an unusual friendship, and everyone’s eyes are opened to the truth they already know and a larger world, one filled with daring and a little danger, kindness and cruelty, and a rather dashing assortment of vintage automobiles.

It’s a little story that contains my heart and soul.

It’s a funny thing, writing a novel. It is my essence, but it isn’t me. I have lived it: driven, walked, and pedaled the roads. I’ve heard the music and felt the joy and pain. I am every character, yet I don’t know them fully, don’t know exactly what motivates them, why they are unerringly kind and goofy or cruel and distant, despite my silent pleas. I remember reading something similar in an interview, years ago, before I ever flirted with the notion, before I met a writer at a party and was gobsmacked by his insistence that writing was what I ought to be doing, not what I was.

How do you not know what is going to happen next? Your hands are moving, whether by pen or keyboard. It’s not magic. It’s you and your creation. That is what I didn’t know. That there is a certain alchemy and, perhaps, the hand of God, Buddha, Krishna? Things happen. Marvelous. Unexpected. Dazzling. Sad. I didn’t see them coming, but there they were, sparkling jewels before my eyes, and I worked with mad fury to capture them with the clarity in which they first appeared, to pay my proper respects to that flood. And I believe I did. I hope you agree.

A million thanks to all who have helped, encouraged, and loved me along the way.

May you lie in the shade, on your favorite quilt, and enjoy…

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FINE PRINT:

This is a limited-edition run of 100, so, if you would like a copy, and I sincerely hope you do, you have until the books are gone to make it so (fewer than 20 at the moment).

Beautifully bound with the title embossed in gold on the cover,  each is signed and numbered, with a full-color illustration on the title page and one black and white illustration for each chapter. A labor of love, truly.

I’m afraid I can only ship within the United States, as the cost is just too unpredictable internationally.

Click here to buy the Kindle Edition of Polite Society for $2.99!

THANK YOU.