Before the Ashes Fall, Volume 1

We've all heard about Dementia, and quite possibly, have even been touched personally by this disease. But when I researched content for this endeavor, Dementia's voice foretold of a terrifying and nameless world, one in which identities, relationships, and memories were hollowed from the inside out. It's a world in which every frame of life smoldered until the ashes fell, leaving a land so barren that the final destination was unmistakable. It was only after witnessing 2 relatives succumb to the disease did Dementia have a face and leave me begging: 'what did you hear, see, and feel'? Before the Ashes Fall illustrates this world with uniquely distinct character voices, each struggling to understand the journey. Richard, the young schoolteacher battling the disease, desperately reaches for every thread which once made him whole. Cafferty, a prominent attorney turned Memory Care Advocate, wishes to offer 'unprecedented care with dignity' unlike the experience during his mom's own fight with the disease. Danny, Richard's cantankerous and terminally ill father, hasn't found a single reason to live until fate reunites him with the son he abandoned over a half-century prior. And finally, Dementia, the ultimate puppeteer who orchestrates the modern Danse Macabre with a brutal flair. In its purest form, the 81,000-word journey is a race toward freedom from a despotic disease and ultimate forgiveness of a father before time runs out. The manuscript has been content and line edited by a highly respected industry professional (David Aretha), who offered this impression upon conclusion:
About the Author: David Serafine has been an author, poet, and industrial security expert for over 25 years. With his seminal publication, Value-Based Security Procurement, he gained international recognition after the book was featured at the 2005 Global American Society for Industrial Security Summit. The ensuing success earned him a guest column in Security World International where his work 'Cargo Crime, The Silent Killer' reached a distribution in 15 countries. For his next venture, Mr. Serafine flexed his 'genre be damned' muscle with the deliciously irreverent Bumble Pie: The Art of Losering. This collection of comedic essays garnered overwhelmingly favorable reviews for it's highly visual, 'belt-busting' delivery. The work received an honorable mention in his Alma Mater's 'IUP Magazine'. In 2018, Alzheimer's touched David's immediate family twice, inspiring a pursuit as artistically gratifying as it was personally triumphant. The fictional Before the Ashes Fall is an emotional Tour de Force described by an award-winning author and editor as 'a monumental achievement inspired by love'. Today, Mr. Serafine is editing poems he has written over the last 3 decades with a goal of publishing the works in early 2020.