Submitted by Susanne Bacon
Last year, German-born author and journalist Susanne Bacon of Lakewood celebrated the release of her novel “Delicate Dreams.” Her South Puget Sound novel, placed in the fictitious coastal town of Wycliff, “is a story of rather quiet tones,” the author says. “But readers seem to like it. Some of the highest praise I got was that some people expected to step out of their homes and run into my novel characters.” Which is one of the reasons why the story now continues.
Bacon had not tied up all the loose ends of her story on purpose. “I have fallen in love with my little town on the Puget Sound, and I intended to keep momentum for further stories.” The result was published earlier last week with the release of the loosely connected sequel “Wordless Wishes.” It takes up some of the characters the reader has already met and introduces a number of new ones, among them some “real” people from Steilacoom. And, again, Bacon mentions quite a few places around the Sound, such as the Steilacoom Historical Museum. “Mixing the real with the fictitious is always a wonderful challenge for a writer.”
“Wordless Wishes” is about people finding a voice though their lives have been abruptly bent and twisted. Its protagonist is Kitty Kittrick of whom the reader only caught a very short glimpse at the flower store in “Delicate Dreams.” The new book sets in when she has to leave high school early because of a reading stress disorder. Bonny Meadows from the declining “Flower Bower” employs her. But a real challenge is put to Kitty when Bonny suffers a stroke. While Kitty fights to keep the business on its feet, two young eligible men vie for her heart and offer her very different visions of a future.
“I have always been interested in symbolism. But the language of flowers presents only one layer in ‘Wordless Wishes,’” Bacon says. “The novel also reveals how speechlessness as well as failed communication can change a person’s life.”
Yet, Bacon looks on the lighter sides of life as well. As the passionate home-cook that she is, she weaves some yummy comfort food and recipes into her tale for the benefit of her foodie readers. “In the end, my characters are not living of love and thoughts alone,” Bacon quips.
“Wordless Wishes” is available as an AuthorHouse soft cover edition (322 pages), online via AuthorHouse book store, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and at any local bookstore (ISBN 978-1-5049-8584-0, $ 20.99). There will also be an E-book version available shortly (ISBN 978-1-5049-8585-7, $ 3.99).
