An Angel For Duane & Gladys

Description

Grief, romance and the contents of a storage shed lead an Idaho couple through a mystery. They buy the shed contents along with a Palomino tied to the door of the shed. Losing their adult son in an accident has caused them to drift apart. Gladys hopes their adventure will draw the couple closer. Duane & Gladys experience the full impact the purchase has on their lives as well as the lives of their friends. Their son, Sam, was an integral part of a riding academy the couple run, and when he died, their business world, as well as their private one, almost collapses. The adventure, as Gladys called it, is supposed to make them move toward each other instead of apart. The contents of the shed lead to contact with unsavory characters who are drawn to the Southwestern art in the shed. But it's the Palomino which draws their time and interest and adds to the menagerie at their ranch. A goat, an albino donkey and a chicken or two keep them busy at feeding time, along with boarded horses of clients and friends. Tragedy, romance, mystery and grief all come together in An Angel For Duane & Gladys.

JOANNE WIKLUND's writing career began when she wrote a letter to the editor back in the early '70's. The editor called to ask her to write stories. A graduate of Black Hawk College, majoring in psychology and minoring in English, Joanne wrote a weekly column and covered local events while being a stay at home mom. She was a correspondent for The Dispatch, Moline, IL; where she served a stint as a corporate librarian. She was a reporter, also, for The Rock Island Argus. She served as editor of both The Globe and The Riverdale Bulletin, weekly newspapers in her hometown of Port Byron, IL, a small town on the east bank of the Mississippi River. She wrote features for Life Times, the newspaper of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, in Chicago, IL, and The Leader, a weekly in Scott County, Iowa. She wrote weekly columns which appeared in The Argus and The Globe. Her photographs often accompanied her articles. Later, she wrote for The Nashville Banner in Nashville, TN. Joanne's poetry was published on a centennial quilt by the Bettendorf Public Library in Bettendorf, IA, along with nine other poets. She won the Ode to Bix contest at that library in 2002, and was part of a street poetry display sponsored by former Quad City Poet Laureate Dick Stahl. She is a charter member of the Midwest Writing Center in Davenport, IA. Joanne also developed a series of writing lessons titled Do It! Write! which she presented for ten years at River Valley Library. The River Valley Writers, a critiquing group she founded from class members, meets twice a month at libraries in Port Byron and Cordova, IL Joanne is a member of Countryside Christian Church. She has been a Realtor, a Sunday School teacher, a three-term president of the Riverdale PTA and a distributor of Successful Living Books. Joanne speaks to organizations on such topics as Have You Got A Story To Tell? encouraging others to write; Mom Wants To Run Away From Home; Hope; A Funny Thing Happened To Me On The Way To The River; and Voices From the Valley. Her latest presentation title is eBooks 101. Joanne may be reached by email at joanne.wiklund20@gmail.com, her blog at blogjoanneblog.blogspot.com or on facebook at joanne wiklund author or her personal page.