Just Out of Reach by Belinda J. Stevens

Just Out of Reach

by Belinda Stevens

When high school freshman Katherine Boyd meets David, her life is forever altered. Their romance experiences the turmoil of Mississippi in the sixties, family relationships that keep them apart, and political differences that threaten to destroy them. Through the death of JFK and James Meredith’s admission to Ole Miss, Katherine’s growth means being progressive in a traditional Southern family, accepting the loss of those closest to her, and learning to cope with her family’s darkest secrets. Just Out of Reach is the story of a young woman forged in desperate times and a love that changes her life forever.

 Excerpt

I felt bad that I had done it again. I upset the girls and caused a nasty quarrel between Tom and me. I know he isn’t seeing Chrissie, but I couldn’t forget the past. There was too much water under the bridge to forget.

My husband and children don’t know me or my story, except for my darling Lisa. My husband would use my history against me. Of all my daughters, only Lisa listened without judgment and attempted to understand. Mary Anne was too wrapped up in her own problems, and Katherine, close to her Daddy, never really liked me. She would crucify me if she knew what really happened.

It was about a year ago that I told Lisa part of the truth about myself. I was in the kitchen making my special Saturday pancakes, and I was crying. As she entered the room, Lisa heard me and asked, “Mama, what’s wrong?”

“Life! Oh, honey, it’s a never ending struggle. It’s your father and me. We were mismatched from the start.” Smiling through my tears, I said, “You girls are the only good thing to come out of my marriage.”

“What about the beginning? Was it bad then?” asked Lisa as she took the bacon out of the refrigerator and placed it in the frying pan.

Always Mama’s little helper, I thought and answered my daughter with a “yes”.

Belinda J. Stevens was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, the gateway to the Mississippi Delta, in 1948. She grew up in the turbulent sixties, and has a true appreciation for the difficulties experienced by Katherine in Just Out of Reach, which is Belinda’s first novel. She is an attorney who currently practices law in Yazoo City and resides in Brandon, Mississippi with her dog, Humprey B.

Facebook: facebook.com/belinda.stevens.733

Twitter: @BelindaSteven20

Blog: belindastevens.blogspot.com

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