Grandmother Carried Her Pearls

Set in the late 1970s, Trudy finds herself abandoned at a truck stop by Harold Faust, the attorney who counseled her through an unwanted pregnancy and adoption. The unlikely hero of the story is Mac, a trucker, Vietnam Vet and survivor of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Surprised to find Trudy, Mac asked, "What the hell are you doing here?" Mac offers to take Trudy back to Milson, a Midwestern city where they both now live, connected by Jackie, Mac's girlfriend and Trudy's employer. The plot doubles back to the prior year, finding Trudy full of hope with plans to enroll at the university. But now, Trudy insists she can't and won't return. Mac has to decide between abandoning Trudy or taking her along on his road trip. Like Huckleberry Finn and Jim floating down the Mississippi river escaping racism, Mac and Trudy drive the modern river of life, the Interstate Highway, exploring the structures of a patriarchal culture, and the new rights women fought for including the right to self-autonomy and reproductive freedom following the Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade. Patricia Carney, a writer and poet, lives along the south shore of Lake Michigan, Cudahy, Wisconsin. Throughout the Midwest, Patricia Carney, a writer, and poet, has received wide publication, including four poetry collections. Kelsay Press published her most recent work, "A Kayak is my Church Pew," in 2021. She is a member of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and the South Shore Poets. Carney has also written fictional stories on the theme Women Coming of Age. In 2019, she released her first novel, Community Service on Planet Wierdo. This is her second novel exploring the same theme. Carney is uniquely qualified to write about adoption, having worked as an attorney for thirty years representing mothers and newborns, including as court-appointed Guardian ad Litem. She served on bar committees exploring new rights developed around private adoptions and surrogacy. Carney is a member of the Wisconsin Bar Association. (Jursik is her professional name, writing under her maiden/pen name).