Duet: Mandy's Dream and The Rule of Thirds

by Inger Margaret Foster, Cathlyn Driscoll (Illustrator)

Duet is two books in one, beginning with Mandy's Dream. Set in the fictional town of Beauville, NY in 1974, Jessica Taylor, a young and gifted artist, has an encounter with what she assumes to be an angel in the mist. Upon learning more about the little girl behind the vision, Jessica is compelled to search for ways to help unlock an underlying condition. Recruiting her friend, Meg Pedersen (The Final Canoe Ride and Elke’s Magic), the two combine forces and discover that their efforts ultimately become more far reaching than their intended goal. Surprising backstories become intertwined, as the the past finds a way to mingle with the present.

The next book is The Rule of Thirds. Mixing reality with the arts and healing, two teenagers find closure and acceptance in their own lives while helping a little girl find her way. Lost in her own world, little Mandy is unable to express what she has suppressed years after the loss of her parents. Assisted by her two friends, Meg and Jessica, she recreates her own story to help unlock the pain she has been holding deep inside. Woven throughout are glimpses into the inspiration and the creative process that were used to make the very first children’s "book within a book".

“In every losing there will be some kind of a finding. There always is. Sometimes you have to wait for it. But it will come. In the end, you will discover that there is a perfect balance between what one loses and what one finds.”
~ Mary Reynolds, The Rule of Thirds

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 29, 2023

About the author

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Inger has lived in the US for most of her life. She grew up in a small town in Northern New Jersey, where the passion for reading led to a lifetime of writing. Inger has always thought of herself as a storyteller, rather than an author. To her, the story itself is the most important part of a book, and she avoids penning excessive pages filled with unnecessary detail. With short, easy to read chapters, and concise descriptive passages, she hopes to rapidly draw readers into the worlds that she has created.

Inger holds a Masters Degree in Arts and Education. She has written ten books, in nine volumes, for The Circles of the Soul series. In addition, she collaborated with Cathlyn A. Driscoll to create two children’s books (available only in print), both derived from the storylines set in two of the books in the series. Sitting outside of the series is the romantic ghost story, Always Just Beyond. This book-within-a book presents a whole new cast of characters, with a storyline connected to the 1850s house that she and her husband recently renovated in New England. Inger is a mother and a grandmother, and is currently involved in the creation and development of screenplays with JNAK Productions.

Inger's Y/A novel, Elke's Magic, is now a screenplay, beautifully written by Daina Ann Smith. It is currently in pre-production.

Reviews

[Karen K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the characters and the sweet story of friendship, sharing talents with someone in need, and a touch of young love revisited. I found Meg's "heart versus mind" inner dialogue adorable and Jessica's artist's process so real. So much more to say, but I recommend reading it to see for yourself.