Family Moves from Country to Big City in Joyce Van Haren's New Historical Fiction

By: May. 17, 2014
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"On Woodward" (published by Abbott Press), the new historical novel by Joyce Van Haren, shows that it is more gratifying to work in an honest career, no matter how humble the work is, than to seek out admiration and money by working at something untrue to one's beliefs.

"On Woodward" is the story of young artist Alma May Combs and her family who, in 1930, flee to Detroit from the dangers of Kentucky coal mines, where her coal miner father was nearly killed twice in methane explosions. The novel spans 14 years, and covers the triumphs and tragedies of the Combs family as they live through and are affected by the Great Depression and World War II, all while experiencing prejudice for being, as Van Haren says, hillbillies.

An excerpt from "On Woodward":

"'There ain't nothin' wrong in your wantin' to be successful in paintin' and makin' lots a money, long as you go about it right.' Her mother's voice was getting louder. 'An' as far as you 'startin' to meet some important people'-them people ain't our kind a people, Alma May. We're hillbilly people. Since we came to Detroit City you've been gettin' a big head.'"

Van Haren touches on issues such as economic hardships and war in "On Woodward," making the subject matter relevant to current events. "Many of us are going through economic hardships and also the effects of war," she explains. "But the novel is not all grim. There are lighter, happy times, too."

"On Woodward"
By Joyce Van Haren
Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 464 pages | ISBN 9781458210500
Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 464 pages | ISBN 9781458210517
E-Book | ISBN 9781458210494
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Joyce Van Haren was born in Detroit. She has written a human interest column and feature stories for the Ypsilanti Press and has won several short story awards in writing competitions. She lives in southeastern Michigan, where she has written an as-yet-unnamed novella, and is hard at work on her next novel.

Abbott Press, a division of Writer's Digest - the oldest and most respected publisher devoted to the education and advancement of writers - is an indie-publishing imprint dedicated to helping writers bring their literary vision to print. Author Solutions, LLC, a leader in indie book publishing, will fulfill publishing, sales, and marketing services for Abbott Press. For more information, or to begin publishing a book today, log on to abbottpress.com or call 866-697-5310.



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