Now that it is February, everyone’s mind is turning toward Valentine’s Day. Hearts, flowers,
roses, boxes of chocolate, sappy greeting cards. The one day a year we are reminded and
encouraged to pay special attention to the ones we love. And yes, I know many of us say we
don’t need a Hallmark holiday to remind of us of what’s important, but we still participate
because we enjoy it.
Before the internet gets overwhelmed with Valentine’s greetings and stories about Cupid, I want
to talk about a different perspective on love. One that isn’t all hearts and flowers.
The matriarch of our Oghma Creative Media family is known for writing romantic stories. Velda
Brotherton has been writing hot and steamy stories for years. Whether the setting is the Ozark
hills, the western plains, or somewhere in between, her writing is said to be sexy, dark, and
gritty. She does just write romances, but those are what I want to talk about today.
Because I’m working on a couple of projects with her, I’ve had the chance to spend a little more one-on- one time with Velda, and get to know her. She’s been around a little longer than some of us have, and experienced a few more things. And no matter how arrogant we are, we’re going to have to admit that she’s bound to know more about love.
I don’t know much about Velda’s personal life, and all that she has been through, but I do know that she was married to one man for many years, and was always true to him. Think about that. One man. In today’s world of transient relationships that’s something special.
Right now Velda is working on a sequel to a book she wrote in 1985, but didn’t publish until a few years ago. This book is called Beyond the Moon, and is dear to her heart. Recently I read this book for the first time, and I was stunned by the depth of love portrayed by her characters.
Beyond the Moon is the story of a Vietnam POW who comes home and ends up in the local VA hospital because he just can’t find his way back to the world. It is the story of an artist who recently lost her husband, and is trying to build a new life without her longtime partner. It is the story of these two people finding each other in a world that is new and strange to both of them, and learning what REAL love is. It is not always hearts and flowers. Sometimes it is tears, and nightmares, and fears of the unknown and the unknowable. It is standing beside the one you love, not because you should, but because it is the only thing your heart will let you do.
Beyond the Moon is a book I would recommend everyone read. If you’re a woman, a man, a person who’s been in love, a person who thought they were in love once, a person who’s never been in love—this book is for you.
Yes, there is romance. But above all, this is a love story.
~ Cyndy
