Shelby’s Vacation – the novel

“What at first seems like an ordinary search for affection turns into something much deeper for Shelby, a woman struggling to soothe a fractured heart. When she meets up with innkeeper Carol, romance fills the air, but both women face emotional barriers that must be hurdled before real intimacy can flourish. I found a lot to like in this unique novel! Backstory is skillfully woven into the present, helping the reader appreciate the challenges Shelby and Carol face. It’s never easy to untangle deep pain from the past, especially when the present is so uncertain. Steeped in the natural beauty of the California high country, this is an uplifting and romantic novel about the power of love to heal hearts and mind.”

And a wonderful review on Amazon from Diane Abato:

“I loved this book for many reasons. First and foremost was for the clear and eloquent writing.  The descriptions were so perfectly written that the reader could picture, as well as smell the pine trees and feel the sunshine on your face. You could feel the angst of the characters painful memories of their past and some of their prior actions that they now regretted. I read a lot of fiction and can’t rave enough about the high quality of the writing. I had read Ann Lamott’s book on writing, Bird by Bird many years ago and she talks about how to describe things. Just using a lot of adjectives can feel forced clumsy, and overwrought for the reader. I never felt this with Nancy’s writing. It felt like I was on this journey with them.

The second thing, I really enjoyed about this book was the spot-on verbal dialogue, as well as the inner voices we all have. You cared about all of them and learned some of their back stories which increases our compassion and interest in continuing reading the story. You truly want to find out how the story progresses and I found myself thinking about them during the day. It was kindly written, so the reader could identify and be self-aware of our own habits of projecting and fantasizing.

The third thing I really liked was that the main characters were all comfortable in their Lesbian presence. It wasn’t a simple coming out story but a search for life’s meaning and qualities in a life partner. Learning to reach out and yet respect each other’s time and space which are important lessons for everyone.”