Local Author Pens New Book
After publishing five novels over a span of 15 years, local author Alfred J. Garrotto thought he had run out of stories. Not so. On July 26, 2010, he woke up with a new plot and set of characters playing in his head.
“It was all there, beginning, middle and end,” the author said. It took a year for him to write and edit the book, meticulously grinding through nine full revisions. “The book grew in detail and depth, but basically the original story found its way onto the printed page.” On September 1, The Saint of Florenville: A Love Story was released in both print and ebook formats.
Set in modern-day Belgium, this tragic yet uplifting story begins when two good friends, an American priest and a Belgian nun, are sightseeing in picturesque Bruges. They are about to part, when a local man who has befriended them drugs and kidnaps them. What follows is a tale of loss and suffering, faith and the struggle to survive. Thrown together under the worst possible conditions, Fr. Tom Jensen and Sr. Marie-Therese form a bond that transcends the demands of their religious vows. In the end, only one of the pair survives, but this is a plot full of unexpected twists and turns, dark secrets and surprises.
The author has resided in Contra Costa County for 40 years and has lived in the Antioch-Pittsburg area since 2005. In addition to writing fiction, he reviews books for a national periodical and edits manuscripts for other authors. He served two terms as president of the Mt. Diablo Branch of the historic California Writers Club. The statewide organization was founded in 1909 by the great Jack London and a group of his writing buddies.
Additional information about Alfred J. Garrotto and The Saint of Florenville: A Love Story can be found at http://saintofflorenville.wordpress.com.
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