Turning Toward the Sun – New Author Has Readers Looking Up
Each month, Ralph Peluso has been amazed by the unique talents of each author of the books he reviews and this month’s selection is no different.
Publisher: Self Published
By Ralph Peluso
Alexandria, VA – Boy, how time flies! The privilege I have of reviewing books is now going on six years. Each month I’m amazed by the unique talents of each author, and this month’s selection is no different.
In her first work, Turning Toward the Sun, Ceil Warren will make readers pause and think. She writes in a smooth and easy fashion, touching on deeply sensitive and personal topics. Secrets and regrets from the past, often held too close and deep, nonetheless surface and haunt.
Times are always changing, but resistance to change is never good for the soul. The heart is fickle, but true love shines through. Perhaps the saddest realization for readers is how fleeting time is. Holding grudges, especially with loved ones, never has a good outcome. When those loved ones are gone, all that is left is the guilt of not spending more time with them. One quote (among many) in the book that hits home is, “you cannot hold a memory.”
Ceil’s work has a happy ending. Her main character, Arthur, is a fusty man, older in stature than his age of 62. He proves nothing in life in insurmountable with the help of good friends during the tough moments. Arthur is a man who throughout life always chose the safer simpler path, the path more travelled. His quirky, caring friends have other ideas. They drag him protesting to face his fears and go for the brass ring. It’s a story of love, friendship, and redemption told with humor and heart.
Ceil’s characters emphasize people as important pieces in building the complex quilt of who we are. Her work draws you into the family fabric of the Connecticut hamlet community of Stones End, and navigates the trials, tribulations, and rumor mill of a small close-knit community.
“Wonderful people in my life kindled my inspiration. I’m surrounded by colorfully rich characters who fill me with joy and laughter. We get each other through all that life throws at us…celebrating the good and holding each other up through the bad,” Warren said when asked about her initiative for the book.
Ceil Warren is a native of the Bronx, NY, and has lived in places from Belarus to Newfoundland, including the D.C. area. She was the sixth child in a family of eight. “My parents were tired by the time I came around. I got away with a lot.”
As a teenager, she had a deep crush on George Harrison. There are bits of his great song, “All Things Must Pass,” in her work. Always a risk taker, she took to drag racing. “My Slant Six Duster sure could move. And my parents never found out.”
Ceil became a self-taught CFO and broke the glass ceiling. Warren says her life is blessed with close family and fabulous friendships that have withstood the test of time. I can vouch for the latter; my friendship with her dates back six decades.
“Life is made up of a million moments,” she writes. Make reading about Arthur, his friends and the search for love one of those moments. Available on Amazon. A terrific read for all. Solid 5 Zebra Stripes.
Authors in the D.C. Metro Area!
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