Paul Alan Fahey on Garden Reach

Paul Alan Fahey on Garden Reach ...

In the beginning, it was this want ad that drew Evelyn to such an isolated area on the Pacific coast:

"Garden Reach
Now avail lux 1 & 2 bedrm suites, magnif renov
estate overlkng Pacific. Spect vus! 80 mi
N of SF. Bird watchrs' paradise, pvt bch.
Just $750K. Senior wmn only.
Interested parties please contact Lilah Sarkees at ..."

Garden Reach is about second chances. Many people believe we've lived more than one life down though the ages. Some of us even manage to start over in a single lifetime and reinvent ourselves again and again. The whole idea of second chances -- the realization that we're not quite finished and there's more to see, do, and accomplish -- has fascinated me since childhood.

The main character in my story, Evelyn Richards, truly believes in second chances. In the winter of her years and after her husband's death, she sells her home and household belongings and moves north to a seaside Victorian mansion she shares with three other women.

However, once she settles into her nest and the months go by, Evelyn has second and third thoughts about her new home and soon discovers if she isn't careful, her fresh new start may indeed lead to a dead end.

Garden Reach is very much influenced by the books I read and the films I watched as a child and adolescent. Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca were surely on my mind when I created the story's atmosphere and the odd inhabitants of the mansion. Is Garden Reach a suspense thriller or a black comedy? Of course in the end, you'll be the judge. I always enjoy hearing from readers. Please let me know your thoughts after reading the story.

Paul Alan Fahey
paulalanfahey.com

Read an excerpt or buy a copy of GARDEN REACH today!