Guest Post from Judith Works, Author of The Measure of Life
Quick Summary:
In The Measure of Life by Judith Works, Nicole's journey begins in Rome with a crumbling marriage and unfolds into a powerful story of rediscovery, forgiveness, and finding peace in unexpected places. Rich with food, friendship, and self-reflection, this novel is perfect for readers who love emotional depth and a vivid sense of place.
Author Giveaway:
Judith Works will award a randomly drawn winner a $20 Amazon/BN gift card. ENTER BELOW!
A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.
Guest Post from Judith Works, Author of The Measure of Life~ $20 Gift Card 💙📚 #WomensFiction #Rome #LoveAndLoss #BookTravel @GoddessFish @worksjudith
Book Details
The Measure of Life By Judith Works
Published by The Wild Rose Press on November 18, 2024
Genres: Women's Fiction
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 310
A story of love and loss begins in Rome with Nicole's unhappy marriage to an older widower. As the new city brings new opportunities, Nicole faces an exploration of who she is and wants to be, new friendships, and immersion into Rome's bountiful food scene.
But life abroad also forces Nicole to confront her mistakes, broken relationships, and the consequences of her actions. In search of forgiveness and healing, she returns home to Seattle. But, then she finds that the only way to truly heal is to go back to Rome and face her past.
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Excerpt from The Measure of Life
Deirdre knocked on the front door right on time. No one in Rome ever showed up on the appointed minute for a social occasion. I opened the door in my violet silk dress and bare feet. “Hang on, I can’t find my shoes and I need to finish my makeup.”
“Oh my gosh—I should have said it’s casual. Are you sure about the dress? Remember it’s Vashon.”
“I’m dressed now. I haven’t had a chance to go out for months.” I ran upstairs to finish.
Deirdre said, “Uh, a bit much for here,” when I returned wearing open-toed platform heels complementing the purple dress. After a pause, she added, “Oh, don’t worry, it’s fine and we’re late anyway.” I could tell she was flustered about something.
When we parked in front of the gallery, I could see people holding glasses of wine while they looked at the photos. All looked comfortable in jeans and sweaters like Deirdre. I could feel my face was beginning to match my dress. People paused conversations to welcome Deirdre and her unknown and strangely dressed guest: me. Some stared briefly. Not unkind looks, but more of astonishment their friend had found such an alien.
A woman rescued me by saying, “Hi. I’m Meg.”
Excerpt provided by the author/publisher for use in this post.
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Judith Works: After I earned a law degree in midlife, I had the chance to leave the Forest Service in Oregon and run away to the Circus (Maximus). In reality my husband and I moved to Rome where I worked for the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization for four years as a legal advisor to the director of human resources. I could see the Circus that had hosted chariot races during the Roman Empire from my office window. My husband and I reluctantly returned to the US after four years. But we pined for the land of pasta, vino, art, and sunny piazzas. Then the gods smiled and offered a chance to return to Rome with the UN World Food Program. Six more years or food and frolic in the Eternal City passed much too quickly. The indelible experiences living in Italy and working for the UN were the genesis of my memoir, Coins in the Fountain.About Judith Works
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Guest Post by Judith Works, Author of The Measure of Life
A character who played a larger role than expected.
One of my characters in The Measure of Life grew in importance as I shaped and edited the novel. I originally pictured him simply as an elderly man in an antique and junk shop where my protagonist bought some memorabilia when she returns from buying bread at a bakery a neighbor recommended as the best in Rome. My developmental editor said he was extraneous to the story, but a few friends who had seen an earlier draft said they loved him. I was puzzled – get rid of him or expand into a real character?
I needed to allow my protagonist, Nicole, to be able to express her innermost turmoil – unhappy marriage, surprise baby that has upset other members of her family, and worries about being stuck in Rome for years with no prospects of an independent life. She has developed a friendship with her upstairs neighbor, but that woman is so comfortable in her own life she is unable to relate to Nicole’s turmoil with other than kindness.
Nicole needs more, someone to open her heart to and who can respond with gentle advice and help her see alternatives to a way forward. When she enters the dark and dusty antique shop on a whim, she finds herself in a fairyland filled with old books and antiques that have stories to tell. The shop is tended by a lonely old man whom she soon discovers also needs someone to talk with and who takes delight in cosseting the baby as he had with his own children ages earlier.
As their relationship develops it gave me the opportunity to describe the setting filled with typical contents found in Rome shops and flea markets that I personally love such as old travel books and histories, ceramics, terra cotta sculptures, an antique children’s sailboat, and small paintings that I bought for my own pleasure.
But most important, the old man now had a critical place in the story, one that expanded from a little local color to a person who becomes a substitute grandfather to the baby and plays a pivotal role in determining the course of Nicole’s life.
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Giveaway!
Judith Works will award a randomly drawn winner a $20 Amazon/BN gift card.
Visit more stops on this Goddess Fish tour for extra chances to win!
Official Tour Page for The Measure of Life
Full Tour Schedule:
March 3: Aubrey Wynne: Timeless Love
March 10: Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
March 17: The Avid Reader
March 24: Sandra's Book Club
March 31: Joanne Guidoccio - review
April 7: Westveil Publishing
April 14: Maggie Blackbird
April 21: Long and Short Reviews
April 28: Fabulous and Brunette
May 5: Guatemala Paula Loves to Read - review only
May 12: A Wonderful World of Words
May 19: Gina Rae Mitchell
May 26: Dawn's Reading Nook
June 2: Always Reading
June 9: It's Raining Books
June 16: Straight From the Library
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I really like the excerpt and the cover.
This looks like a great read. Thanks for sharing.
The Rome setting of this book makes it very interesting to me!
Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
I hope you get a chance to read it, Nancy.
I have to read this book...
Thank you so much for featuring MEASURE OF LIFE today.