New Novel Follows Man's Mountain Hike

Frank Wardlaw Wright's new novel "Stained-Glass Curtain" (published by iUniverse) is a personal and emotional journey along the Appalachian Trail, as a man tries to walk away from the pain of losing his wife.

Robert "Snaky" Martin's wife of 34 years, Angie, dies of breast cancer. Grieving, he attempts his lifelong dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.

On the trail he meets a variety of other hikers. Socrates, a Duke graduate and know-it-all scientist; Preacher, a fervid Christian fundamentalist and proselytizer; Southern Bell, an Alabama veterinarian accompanied by her Labrador retriever; and Mother Superior and Czechmate, nurses and lesbian companions.

An excerpt from "Stained-Glass Curtain":

She rang up his purchases and made conversation. "You don't have a hole that needs patching, do you?"
The words caught him off guard. For months he had built labyrinths of distractions. Read a book. Watch a movie. Volunteer at the homeless shelter. Planning for the hike was the ultimate diversion. Just when he thought these dodges were succeeding, a simple little thing, like Lauren's harmless question, pierced his defenses. He heard his own voice answer, "Can you patch a hole in the heart?"

Wright hopes that his novel will encourage people to be more tolerant. "American acceptance of homosexuality, especially Christian acceptance, is a major social and political issue. This book deals with the issue in detail."

About the Author
Frank Wardlaw Wright and his wife, Jeanne, live in Big Canoe, Ga. They have a daughter and a son. Wright hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2000. He is a member and past officer in both the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and is a current trail maintainer. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University. Wright is a lifelong Presbyterian and attends the Chapel at Big Canoe.

iUniverse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is the leading book marketing, editorial services, and supported self-publishing provider. iUniverse has a strategic alliance with Indigo Books & Music, Inc. in Canada, and titles accepted into the iUniverse Rising Star program are featured in a special collection on BarnesandNoble.com. iUniverse recognizes excellence in book publishing through the Star, Reader's Choice, Rising Star and Editor's Choice designations-self-publishing's only such awards program. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, iUniverse also operates offices in Indianapolis. For more information or to publish a book, please visit iuniverse.com or call 1-800-AUTHORS. For the latest, follow @iuniversebooks on Twitter.

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