Man on the Balcony
A Novel
by
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Chapter 1.
The red light turned to green. Maggie steered her cherry red Chrysler convertible into the driveway of the oceanfront Hilton and slowed to the posted fifteen miles an hour. Overhead, palm fronds rattled and swayed in the ocean breeze while protecting huddling clumps of orange tinged coconuts.
She found a vacant space and switched off the hot engine. Removing a hairbrush from her purse, she dragged the bristles through her shoulder-length, wind-tangled auburn hair. Distant roaring and pounding surf called to her. The thousand miles of travel from Ohio were quickly forgotten as she ran up a narrow path to the top of the sandy dunes. Her long arms clutched for a cerulean blue sky as she breathed deeply of the warm ocean air. Behind her, on the hotel balcony, a tall handsome man smiled. He knew just how she felt. -------
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About the Book
Maggie Swanson, attractive and accomplished manager of a medical clinic in Southern Ohio, has had a lifelong dream of becoming a successful fulltime artist, but can’t see that happening in her small town. She also has a dream of regaining ownership of her old family home and small farm and turning it into an artist’s retreat.
Disillusioned after a failed romance, Maggie vacations at an ocean-side hotel in Jupiter, Florida in an attempt to make sense of her life and questionable future. Instead of sorting out her conflicting emotions, she meets the charming Dr. Brad Newsome, a Virginia gentleman fresh out of his medical residency and searching for a place to practice. But Brad has unresolved romantic interests.
Maggie ends her vacation believing Brad has no place in her future. She leaves her job and her hometown to pursue her artistic dream. She moves to New Orleans to live in her Uncle Tom’s antebellum home for a year of art study. While there she soaks up the flora, fauna and food of the crescent city, as well as the endless banquet of subject matter for painting. Free of romantic entanglement, she succeeds beyond her wildest dream in the famous and exciting city.
Will Maggie’s long-lived dream of regaining the family home and farm come true? Will the paths of Maggie and Brad again merge and bring true happiness, or will their long separation doom any future entanglements? The answers may surprise you.
About the Author
Marie grew up in Ohio, worked in the medical field and became manager of a medical clinic. She married and moved to New Orleans with her now deceased husband, Dr. Norman Pinschmidt, who encouraged her to become an artist. Her background gives her first hand knowledge of an artist's life as well as life in the medical field. This is her first novel in print and it paints a riviting account of life in New Orleans before Katrina, small town living in rural America, and a beautiful love story tying it all together. MAGGIE'S RETREAT, a sequel, will be forthcoming at a later date. The cover of this book is a reproduction of an oil painting by the author. Marie lives, paints and writes in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Her e-mail address is: MariePin001@comcast.net. Website and blog: http://www.paintings-prose-palmbeach.com.