Widowed Romance Writer: "Give Me REAL Romance-Or Give Me My Empty Bed!"

For Release: On Receipt
Contact: Elaine Williams, 518-628-4415, media@onwingspress.com

Widowed Romance Writer:
"Give Me REAL Romance—Or Give Me My Empty Bed!"

CATSKILL MOUNTAINS, NY: After her storybook 23-year marriage ended when her husband succumbed to cancer, romance writer and widowed mother of three Elaine Williams wanted another prince—but found herself politely holding her nose in the company of a whole bunch of warty frogs.

Were her standards too high? "Too many women settle for much less than they deserve. I know it's possible to find true joy in a relationship. That's what Joe and I had together. By setting high standards, I will find someone to meet those standards. In the meantime, my life is exuberant and passionate, even without a life partner."

That exuberance doesn't mean her life is without sorrow, of course. "People always assume I've moved on; our society doesn't give you much time to grieve. But after five years, I still think every day about Joe. I talk to him, dream about him, remember him as the strong, loving husband and father he was. Still, I know he wouldn't want me in a funk for the rest of my life. Every hike or yoga class or horseback ride I take is an honor to his memory. When we're falling apart and tested to the max, that's our opportunity to discover our real strength and purpose."

A lifelong writer who has published with Silhouette and elsewhere and is an active member of both the Women Writers Guild and Romance Writers of America, Williams chronicled the transformational time beginning with Joe's lingering illness, carrying through his death, and into her struggle to make a new and happy life for herself and her sons—warty frogs and all.

And her new book, A Journey Well Taken: Life After Loss, has a powerful, cathartic message to the 700,000 new widows throughout the U.S. —many of them, like Elaine, in the prime of life—who lose their spouses each year: "A new life can emerge from despair and grief over loss."

Journalists: To arrange an interview and/or request a review copy, contact Williams at 518-628-4415, media@onwingspress.com

A Journey Well Taken: Life After Loss
By Elaine Williams
OnWings Press, $13.95
Publication date: June, 2008
ISBN: 9780980110807
Website: www.ajourneywelltaken.com

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