Just in time for International Widows Day - author Sula Miller is joining Widow Care for a free reading of her latest short novel, “Welcome to…The Widows Club”.
Inspired by her beloved, late mother-in-law, and her many friends who opened their doors and hearts to give their true account of widowhood, Sula weaves an intriguing tale offering a rare look behind the gates of a South Florida senior community - where there's a whole new set of rules for widows.
Read an excerpt from Chapter 1 below.
Chapter One
Life After Death
Arnold Hoffman was dead. After fifty-five years of marriage, Irene could finally sleep until she awoke on her own without her husband demanding it was time to get up. A cancerous tumor in his pancreas had spread quickly and taken his life three days earlier. Still not
being able to sleep, she laid there for hours staring out the sliding glass doors to a glimmering, man-made lake as a range of emotions from sorrow to relief swept through her.
Running her hand over the empty side of the split king bed, she watched a family of ducks waddle by still unable to believe that he was really gone. She had to remind herself to be relieved that he didn’t have to suffer any longer or the guilt would surely consume her. She loved Arnold, or she had once long ago, but his obsessive-compulsive behavior had not only driven her crazy all those years, it had also driven away many of their friends. Divorce was something she had contemplated throughout their marriage, but she never quite found the courage to leave him.
Feeling alone for the first time in her life, Irene thought about her only living family left, a son she adored and his wife. They lived forty miles to the south in Fort Lauderdale, the last thing she wanted was to become a burden on them. Arnold’s death opened a new chapter in her life, and although Irene was filled with fear and anxiety, she also felt a nervous excitement about her newfound freedom.
Are you interested in hearing Sula read her story aloud? RSVP to the free book reading & meet-and-greet here (taking place on Wednesday, June 19th from 6pm-8pm).
Read the full synopsis here:
"Welcome to . . . The Widows Club"; Arnold Hoffman was dead. After fifty-five years of marriage, Irene could finally sleep as long as she wanted without her husband demanding that it was time to get up. Torn between grief and relief, Irene can't help but be both fearful and excited at the prospect of living on her own terms for the first time in her life.
However, as she quickly learns, there's a whole new set of rules for widows in the South Florida senior community where she has resided for over twenty-five years. The couples that used to be Irene’s friends no longer welcome her – she’s now single and
considered a threat to the wives of the dwindling number of men. And the women of the “Widows Club” can be just as territorial.
Then there's her son and daughter-in-law, who want to uproot her. But the most daunting is yet to come . . . Dating, Sex and Love!