Author on vacation
Ona’s Tears Excerpt
Everyone needs a break to refill their “love bucket.” I’m doing just that—visiting family in Colorado and Arizona. I glance at the world weary news and relax knowing many competent global states people are working hard to prepare for the “new world order.” Before I left, I heard one of these leaders say that imperialism is the inherent DNA of Russia.
Before I could write Ona’s Tears, I needed to research why my grandparents left Lithuania. I needed to know more about how a child born of immigrants navigates thier emotional development while straddling two vastly different worlds. Now that my book is published, my mission is to show booksellers and readers alike why this story—and my perspective on it—is so vital.
When my grandparents were born, Lithuanians lived under Russian imperialism. Russia exerted absolute political, economic, cultural, and military power or control. Books were banned, people “disappeared” and peasants were forced into the front lines. Russia does not count soldiers when waging war—a reality that feels hauntingly familiar today.
As I wove the story of my fictional grandparents, I did my best to weave this history into the linen of their thoughts, fears and dreams.
Here is an excerpt from Part One:
My old worn house dress is replaced by my soft nightgown that still smells of Fels Naptha. I pull the covers back and crawl into bed. My body relaxes but my brain does not; busy days make busy minds, I will think of a story to calm me. Ragana Gamta taught me that the way to remember stories is to tell them, and pass them from generation to generation, but I have no listening children, so I will tell the story to myself.
Gamta used to tell us about the Great Northern War that took place 100 years before she was born and the story was passed by each generation to us. We must never forget what the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was, and the alliances we were part of before we fell under Russian rule; they wanted to gain access to the Baltic. Gamta would make us repeat the words until we got them right. A plague also killed many people during the War. Gamta wanted us to be aware of plague symptoms so as not to catch and spread it. It did come very close to our village.
“Never forget. Do not let the Russians make you think they ruled first.” She would prompt us with questions and we would take turns answering.
“What was the Grand Duchy of Lithuania?”
“It was the largest state in Europe and included people from different cultures and religions.”
“Who was the first ruler of the Duchy?”
“Mindaugas was crowned as Catholic King of Lithuania in 1253.”
“What were we before the Catholics?”
“We were the same as we are now, only we had many gods, not just one.”
A Note from the Author: While I am away recharging, Ona’s Tears is out in the world and ready for you to discover. If you haven’t yet joined this journey through history and heart, you can find your copy below.