Ember Days

by Mary F. Burns

On the edge of the cultural earthquake that would be the 1960s, the tiny coastal village of Mendocino can feel it coming. Beat poetry, jazz, rebellion and art are spilling out of San Francisco onto the the northern coasts of California. World War II is laid to rest, but people feel restless. When a village son, now a priest, comes home to bury his mother, he finds his younger brother gone and a town full of secrets—some of them his own. Ember Days—the ancient markers of the changing of the seasons—reveal the heart’s deep longings and fears in the face of truth and change, life and death.

348 pages, Paperback

Published March 11, 2016

About the author

Mary Burns’ debut historical novel J-THE WOMAN WHO WROTE THE BIBLE was published in July 2010 by O-Books (John Hunt Publishers, UK). Her second novel, PORTRAITS OF AN ARTIST about the 19th century portrait artist John Singer Sargent, was published by Sand Hill Review Press in 2013. This was followed by her Sargent/Paget Mystery series: THE SPOILS OF AVALON, THE LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES, and THE UNICORN IN THE MIRROR. #4 is on the way! Other literary novels include EMBER DAYS, OF RIPENESS & THE RIVER; and a non-fiction literary essay/exploration "Reading Mrs. Dalloway".

BLOGS: Literary Reviews Blog and Portraits of an Artist and
Sargent-Paget Mysteries

Ms. Burns was born in Chicago, Illinois, grew up in the western suburb of LaGrange, and attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where she earned both Bachelors and Masters degrees in English, along with a high school teaching certificate. She relocated to San Francisco in 1976 where she now lives with her husband Stuart in the West Portal neighborhood. Ms. Burns has a law degree from Golden Gate University, has been president of her neighborhood association and is active in citywide issues. During most of her working career she was employed as a director of employee communications, public relations and issues management at various SF Bay Area corporations, was an editor and manager of the Books on Tape department for Ignatius Press, and has managed her own communications/PR consulting business as well, producing written communications, websites and video productions for numerous corporate and non-profit clients.

Reviews

[Jmbasu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fine characters and a mystery-driven plot

Mary Burns' best book yet, set in Mendocino and San Francisco just as life was changing after WWII. An intertwined cast of characters cope with personal guilt and redemption in an atmosphere of community support.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story about an intriguing group of characters who live in a small coastal town in California. Their lives strangely intertwine slowly in to a full circle. A interesting multilayered story that will keep you guessing. I won my free book from Goodreads Giveaways.