Backstory

This story came about in the fall of 2004. I had taken a trip to a little town north of me and stopped at the local A&W. After I left, I thought about the young ladies who worked there--not in THAT way--and wondered how much they liked their little town. The notion came to me that they probably dreamed about leaving that small town while I would have given anything to stay. The juxtaposition of these attitudes seemed like a good idea for a story.

At first I thought about a short story. Maybe a one-night stand kind of thing. Eventually I got to thinking about doing a full novel. I already had half of the duo, borrowing jaded nature photographer Frank Hemsky from the short story "The Ridgemont Marathon." The other half evolved also on a drive home, this time coming home from Thanksgiving with my family. For no reason I thought this young girl should have a fetish for old movies. Casablanca popped into my mind for some reason. this led me to researching the life of Ingrid Bergman by reading a biography and watching some of her movies. By the time I finished, I had two complete characters.

The Best Light is the story of these two people who are at different stages of their lives. Frank Hemsky is an aging and jaded nature photographer. He's spent so much time in the field that he really has no friends, divorced one woman, and was left by another--Vera Swinton. When Frank learns of Vera's death in the town of Little Mesa, New Mexico, he gets on the first plane there.

He finds out upon arrival that he's 10 years too late--Vera died by falling into a crater outside town on a rainy night. Frank decides then to find out everything he can about Vera after she left him over twenty years ago. He's shocked when he runs into Vera's 18-year-old daughter Anna.

Anna Swinton is an aspiring actress dreaming of leaving the small town behind. When she meets Frank, she sees him as a link to the mother she barely knew. As they get to know each other their relationship becomes more serious. But the truth about Vera Swinton threatens to drive them apart.

Please enjoy "The Best Light..."