Come hear about the first novel released by Colorado author, Joseph Colwell, a dramatic story inspired from afar by a woman he never met. A young woman who moves to California in the 1920s with a new husband and hopes for a new beginning, only to find herself four years later a broken person with shattered dreams. Just as she had been gaining confidence in the promise of a better life, she returns home to start over, but in the process becomes a recluse, a hermit who cannot shed her past. There will be a Q&A session and book signing following Joseph's presentation, and light refreshments will be provided.
What would make a person retreat to her newly acquired property in rural western Colorado and shut out the world? Who is the mysterious Opal? Inspired by real life and a woman he never met, the author of this fictionalized drama searches for answers. Why would someone live in a place of beauty and wildness, yet live amongst her own filth and garbage, alone and friendless? Opal's journey becomes his too, as little by little, he uncovers the mysteries of her life.
As a second career, Joseph Colwell has authored seven books—three nature-related essay collections; a novel; a memoir; the novella and short story collection Tales of Ravens Nest; and now the Hermit of Puccini Ridge. Hermit is the first book of the “Ravens Nest” trilogy—the prequel to Tales of Ravens Nest. Book three is waiting in the wings. Although he grew up in a small Illinois town, Joseph has spent over 50 years living and working across the West. During his college years at the University of Idaho studying forestry and wildlife management, he worked in Idaho State Parks, and Mt. Rainier and Grand Canyon National Parks. He then spent over 27 years with the US Forest Service in five different national forests in four states. After retirement from the Forest Service, he spent ten summers doing fire information work on wildland fires, assisting the media and homeowners in understanding wildfires. Joseph and his artist wife (and editor) Katherine now own and live on their 40-acre nature preserve in western Colorado. They specialize in assisting others in exploring creativity, using nature as the source of inspiration. They can be reached at ColwellCedars.com.
