A Writer's Dream by Kathleen Gallagher

I think I've always been a writer. As far back as I can remember, I'd stare out of the window in my room and find myself in a magical land where dreams can come true. I know it sounds like I'm idealistic. Sure, I like happy endings, but most importantly, a story has to touch my heart and emtionally move me. I will admit I adore horror flicks and dark tales, as I sit in anticipatiion of a thrill, but my heart belongs to a good old fashioned love story.

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When I was seventeen, I watched the movie with Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty, Splendor in the Grass. It's a tale about young love and it touched me in a way I'd never felt before. The ending was not what I expected, however, the dramatic conclusion, evoked a passion deep inside of me for story telling.

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Splendor in the Grass, an American movie from 1961, tells a story of sexual repression, love, heartbreak and manic-depression, which the character Deanie Loomis suffers from. Written by William Inge, and the film was directed by Elia Kazan.
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The film's title is taken from a line of William Wordworth's poem. "Ode: Intimations of Immorality" from Recollections of Early Childhood:
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What though the radiance which was once so bright

Be now for ever taken from my sight,

Though nothing can bring back the hour

Of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower,

We will grieve not, rather find

Strength in what remains behind...

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I still get chills when I read this verse. You may be wondering why I'm talking about someone else's work today, when I have the release of my debut novel Echoes at Dawn, in four days. Well, my desire to make an impact on someon, like Splendor in the Grass did for me is my ultimate goal.

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Echoes at Dawn will be released from Decadent Publishing on March 30th.

Blurb
The strangely intertwined lives of a widowed woman, and a charistmatic bachelor come together in order to show that in life, there are no coincidences...only destiny.
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Waterfront restaurant chef Madeline Young adores her job. If only her love and family's lives were as successful as her career. With a teenage son, who spends time in the emergency room for alcohol poisoning and a dementia-plagued mother, Madeline doesn't know how much more she could handle. Then her mother enlists the help of her deceased twin sister, Mary, to guide Madeline to find true happiness. An early dawn visit from the spirit directs Madeline to volunteer at the local hospitals center for addiction recovery, where she comes alive for the first time in many years under the attention of Nat Griffin.
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Nathaniel Griffin, a part-time counselor and contractor, fascinates his clients with his lectures. In keeping with his philosophy of professionalism, Nat prefers to keep his personal life private. When attraction tests his beliefs, Nat must confront his marred past. Is he willing to face his demons or take the easier path and remain isolated?
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Can unworldly ghosts save this couple from their own self-destructive behavior?