Short Description
Touching,
romantic, and deeply provocative, A Stop in the Park, follows the story
of a man and a woman who yearn to escape the trap of the modern American dream.
Novel Description
Michael
Stolis, a DC attorney, is frustrated by twelve hour work days, tightly
scheduled weekends and his family's chaotic habits. He explodes over minor
irritations like being stuck in traffic, and his tantrums need to stop. His
disillusioned wife, Jamie, is sick of his anger outbursts, and wants him out of
her life. Michael longs to reignite the passionate love they once felt for each
other. Jamie prefers to spend her time fostering illicit Internet
relationships. Michael had simply followed his Greek father's instructions for
a successful life, but something went terribly wrong. A lucrative career, a
Georgetown brownstone and a BMW coupe didn't deliver happiness as promised.
When
his family is about to implode, Michael finds hope through Rufus, an astute
retired bus driver he meets over a game of blitz chess in Dupont Circle.
Michael is intrigued by Rufus's prescription for fulfillment, but is it too
late to change a life, chase a dream, revive a marriage? Michael must decide
how much he is prepared to lose if he embarks on a quest so very different from
the world he created. Touching, romantic, and deeply provocative, A Stop in
the Park, follows the story of a man and a woman who yearn to escape the
trap of the modern American dream.
Excerpt
In this scene a confused
Jamie Stolis contemplates whether she should flee from her volatile yet secure
marriage:
Jamie
traipsed into the kitchen and poured coffee into a blue stoneware mug that she
bought at a pottery shop when she and Michael went hiking in Wyoming. She
circled the rim with her finger. They took that trip eight years ago. She
couldn’t help but smile as she recalled how Michael imitated an agitated bison
they had seen in Yellowstone Park. Thank God they were in the car, because the
open mockery could have provoked the beast to charge if they were with it on
the prairie. She furrowed her eyebrows. What had happened to her husband’s
silly side?
Jamie sipped her coffee and swayed. The air felt light. She picked up the salt
shaker and sprinkled tiny white crystals onto the counter. No one screamed, “Why’d
you do that?” She could leave the salt there for three days, and no one
would care. Jamie smiled and spun around. This must be how a duck feels when a
snapping turtle leaves the pond. She sat on a stool at the island and clasped
the oversized mug. The warmth from the coffee seeped into her palms, and she
focused on the calm.
When her mini-meditation was over, she glanced at the kitchen doorway. A madman
wouldn’t be bursting in blaming her for some felony, like the girls leaving
their yogurt containers on the coffee table. She sat a while longer trying to
figure out what she could do. Stumped, she roamed to the refrigerator and
perused her list.
“First things first: that hornets’ nest has to go.” She
peered out the kitchen window. At least twenty hornets buzzed around the nest
attached to the outside casing. How should she handle this dangerous project?
She glanced at the can of insect killer sitting on the counter. The safest
thing to do was to open the window and screen, spray, and then close them
quickly before the disturbed insects attacked.
“Okay, my little pests, I hate to ruin your morning, but you are about to be
history.” She held the can in one hand, raised the window then the screen, and
blasted the poison at her target. There was a flurry of insect activity, and
Jamie swiftly sealed her house back up for safety. When she looked up, she saw
dozens of hornets emerging from the nest to join those already outside. She
couldn’t figure out how they could all fit in their dwelling, which was the
size of an apple. Some of the hornets sensed the venom and fled. Others circled
around the nest as if considering their next move. They sensed the toxic
substance but weren’t quite ready to leave home. Then there were those that
darted back and forth in a straight line, knowing they should depart but unsure
of where to go. A few of the circlers and darters flew away, determining that
uncertainty was better than death. The hornets that remained were lifers, and
that life was about to be terminated.
“Go on, little hornets,” Jamie said. “You’ll find a new and better home. Just
go.”
But they stayed.
“The poison will kill you. Go on.”
The hornets did not respond to her warning. Jamie watched them fall to their
death into the alley that separated her home from her neighbor’s.
“What a show,” she whispered.
She contemplated the creature feature she just witnessed. Why did some hornets
flee the instant they suspected danger? Why did some cling until it was almost
too late? Why did some hang on until annihilation was inevitable?
“Hmm, if I behaved like a hornet and was aware that I lived in a house that had
been sprayed with malice, cruelty, and arrogance, what would I do?”
Jamie roamed around the kitchen with her arms folded. She stopped at the window
and peered down at the cowardly hornets who had chosen death over adventure.
“You are a darter, Jamie,” she murmured. “You were about to be poisoned, but
you had the courage to fly away. The question is, will you return?”
She thought about money. She thought about Megan and Emily having to travel
between houses. She thought about working full time while trying to take care
of a home and children. Then she thought about spending another forty or fifty
years with Michael.
“God, life is hell.”
She put her face in her hands and tried to will away the confusion.
Her stomach started to ache. She picked up the phone to call Matilda. They
could have lunch and joke around. Matilda would be so jealous of Jamie’s
possibly single status. She might even persuade Jamie to go away some Saturday
night for a wild girl’s night out to celebrate. Jamie punched in three numbers
then stopped. If she told Matilda, all of their friends would know before
nightfall. In fact, everyone in DC would know. Kids might ask Meg and Emily
about the split, and she couldn’t have that. This was a private matter.
She rubbed her belly, hoping the pain would dissipate. It didn’t work. She
traipsed to her computer and signed in to Facebook. There was a message from
Steve. “What’s up?”
That was it. She could tell him about her troubles. Steve didn’t know any of
her friends. It was safe, and venting would make her feel better. Maybe he’d
even offer some good advice. In fact, now that she was separated from Michael,
she might just meet Steve for that cup of coffee on Friday. It would be nice to
meet a new friend.
Author Bio
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Peggy
Strack writes popular fiction about challenges people face in the fast-paced
and daunting contemporary world. She is excited to launch her debut novel, A
Stop in the Park, the story of Michael and Jaime Stolis, a disillusioned
married couple who yearn to escape the trap of the modern American dream.
Peggy hosts the award winning blog, "Kick Back Moments," for the Saratogian
Newspaper. She studied fiction at Skidmore College, The New York State
Writers Institute and East Line Books and Literary Center. She is a
speech-language pathologist living in Saratoga Springs, NY with her husband,
Keith. Peggy has two adults sons enjoys an active lifestyle that includes
hiking, kayaking, and skiing.
Website: www.peggystrack.com
E-mail: pstrack8@gmail.com
Places To Buy The Book
- A Stop in the Park is now available to purchase on Amazon.
- Paperback $13.28 or Kindle e-book at the breakout price of $.99 for the duration of the blog tour!! It’s usually priced at $2.99.
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