I walked around the gallery and stopped to look at various paintings, but when I came upon one piece in particular, I lingered and pondered within my spirit what I saw. A couple was so focused on their individual feelings that there was nothing that would call their attention away to anything but what was hidden within them. They wouldn't hear or mind the rattles, clacks, and the metallic clunks of the train. Neither people buzzing with conversation, nor a camera flashing from across the aisle would stir them. Most importantly, they didn't even turn to one another. Why? One photograph frozen in time held the emotion that lay beneath their outer appearances. It was the perception of an artist who held that photograph in her hands to paint, years later, what she saw and felt from her people watching experience. She neither knew the couple nor did she know their plight, but something in her heart was touched by their silent sounds. The painting of the nameless couple was born of her hands. She carried it until it was time to release it to me. I saw what she saw in the couple. However, I saw more. As I mindfully looked at the painting, I collected symbolism from all over the canvas. The artist wondered how I could see so much. Every time I looked at the painting, I saw something else. Their faces were turned away, forever locked into position on the canvas, yet they spoke to me. This is where the story of Yvette and Milt Campbell begins. Yvette Reveur and Milt Campbell met as young children playing in the same neighborhood. They sat in the same living room listening to the radio, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that the United States was at war. The children survived the harsh realities of WWII. During their teenage years, Yvette and Milt began the mating dance. At Manca's Market, he put his unusual talent to use as he entertained her and showed off, hoping to catch her attention. He knew in one wink that she had noticed. They began dating and their infatuation with one another led to the intimacy that would cause her to become pregnant. They wed and waited. The birth of Joseph was a joyous experience, however the joy became struggle, and that struggle lasted for many years. It lasted through the birth of their first daughter, Catherine. They suffered with the community, the country, and the world when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated A year later, their last daughter, Cynthia was born. She sprang from a fracture within their bond which greatly subdued their love. Ironically though, this child brought them a satisfaction and that glimmer of hope to stir their relationship again. Eventually, their children, Joe, Catherine, and Cindy, became adults, moved out, began their careers, and their own families. Yvette and Milt were in the throes of empty nest syndrome. Life seemed to be going in different directions for Milt and Yvette. Their marriage was a train ride with no stop at a station to let them off. Within the pages of Tracks of Lost Tears, you will come to know Yvette and Milt intimately. You will experience what they experienced and feel what they felt. Let yourself be open. Your heart will truly be touched.
About the Author: Jeffrey Underwood graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in psychology. Though he has practiced as a Registered Nurse for many years, he comes from a family of traditionally published authors. His first published work was the Forbidden Tome; Hansel and Gretel's True Tale. His second was entitled Lethal Assumed; Lost Tome Found. Three more books followed in the Entity Saga and five in what is now called Sarah's Saga. Sarah's Saga, written dually, fall under his and coauthor Kate Taylor's rubric. He currently resides in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, a suburb of Seattle and hopes that those who read soon to be published, Skin Monster, part of Sarah's Saga, also co-written with Kate Taylor, will become aware of yet another truth he speaks about within the amazing and imaginative tale, the true and harsh reality of human trafficking. Kate Taylor is nationally certified as an Activities Director and has award winning history working in Activities in long term care and is a Licensed Nursing Assistant, as well. She is a poet, also talented in the world of watercolor, and enjoys playing the piano. They say that no one lives in New Hampshire, but Kate does. She resides in the small town of Jaffrey. She has much to share in the way of writing, and she hopes that all who read Tracks of Lost Tears, this tale of fact and fiction will want for more. Her first work as an established author is entitled The Pink Eraser. Kate and Jeff are presently immersed in developing their own consulting business on self-publishing. "Many authors write only a few books in a lifetime. Kate and I have written nearly a dozen in a year. You might say, does quantity sacrifice quality here? It doesn't happen to. That's why this occurrence is so exceptional. Kate and I love our characters. There is a reason for that. It's because it is truly a captivating world. Writing is a love affair. Until you have found it, you will never know the potential depth of it. Kate and I have found it." - Jeff Underwood By the by, despite a distance of three thousand miles, Kate and Jeff have accomplished the the writing and self-publishing of their books via texts, email, or phone. They have yet to meet. But they will.