Dear Friends:
My life is always changing. I'm currently living in Belgium where my husband is now working. This is the first time we have moved without our children, since our youngest is off to college, which makes me an empty-nested-expat! Living in another country has always been a dream of mine, since I love to travel and explore and learn about other cultures. Since settling into our flat in Antwerp, I’ve climbed the narrow stairwells of ancient castles, lingered at sidewalk cafes, and wandered through museums, cathedrals and parks. We have traveled to Belgium before, some years back, so it's been lovely to actually live here and get to know the people of Flanders. I find them to be warm, engaging and friendly. Since I began writing Restoration the same year we spent time here before on business, and because I fell in love with the centuries-old Gothic beauty of Belgium's cities, I found myself including parts of Belgium for some of the story's backdrop, which added a unique view of modern-day business dealings in the Benelux region. I have revisited some of the places that I included for scenes when writing Restoration. It's quite a moving experience to walk along the same cobblestone pathways and streets I incorporated as settings in my novel -- to sit in the lobby of the hotel where John stayed, to drive through the countryside where he and Conrad traveled on their way to Brussels -- all of it, just as I remembered. Since being back and living here, we have traveled through nine countries and I’ve made many notes to use for future stories. I do miss my little town in New England, especially my writing studio on the third floor, and of course, my three fantastic adult children, including my new son-in-law -- but I’m also enjoying the adventure of discovering other places and embracing this special time in my life.
Thanks for visiting my website and please click above for more information about my novel, Restoration, or to visit my blog, My Life on the Lane, where I write about my life and adventures, or to order a copy of my book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I love book clubs, so please let me know if your group would like signed copies of Restoration. Drop me a note if you like, I love to hear from readers or fellow authors. Or follow me for updates on Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads. Happy reading and thanks for stopping by...
Always, Caron
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"Caron Kamps Widden’s novel is a vivid portrait of a family struggling to survive after a tragedy. Beautifully written, it is threaded with emotional truth as the main characters restore an old home and rebuild their lives.”
~Lisbeth Thom, Author of Row Away From the Rocks
“Caron Kamps Widden restores my faith in the domestic novel, the novel of ordinary people and their ordinary struggles and glories and passions, the novel written in clear, compelling prose, the novel you keep reading because you want to find out what happens to characters you have come to care about.”
~Howard Junker, Editor of ZYZZYVA
"Caron Kamps Widden’s novel is a vivid portrait of a family struggling to survive after a tragedy. Beautifully written, it is threaded with emotional truth as the main characters restore an old home and rebuild their lives.”
~Lisbeth Thom, Author of Row Away From the Rocks
“Caron Kamps Widden restores my faith in the domestic novel, the novel of ordinary people and their ordinary struggles and glories and passions, the novel written in clear, compelling prose, the novel you keep reading because you want to find out what happens to characters you have come to care about.”
~Howard Junker, Editor of ZYZZYVA