Today it's the Blog Blitz for Mile Marker 139 by Cynthia Hilston.
Cynthia Hilston is a thirty-something-year-old stay-at-home mom of three young kids, happily married. Writing has always been like another child to her. After twenty years of waltzing in the world of fan fiction, she finally stepped away to do her debut dance with original works of fiction. Visit her website at www.cynthiahilston.com for more information.
In her spare time - what spare time? - she devours books, watches Doctor Who and Game of Thrones, pets her orange kitty, looks at the stars, and dreams of what other stories she wishes to tell.
Follow @cynthiahilston on Twitter, on Instagram, Goodreads, on Facebook, Visit cynthiahilston.com
Buy Mile Marker 139
About the book
At mile marker 139 along the Ohio Turnpike, a mysterious woman named Shelley Parkinson arrives at 3:14 at the rest area every night. She sits outside at one of the picnic tables, her fragile hands clutching one cigarette after another. Troubled people swirl around her, battling their own sorrows.
Gruff old janitor Mike Popkins works third shift at the facility and has been lost since his wife died, cutting himself off from his only son and going through the motions of his job. Idealistic young Sarah Wilcox whips up drinks at the happening new coffee shop at the rest stop, but her mind whips of dreams of traveling the world and living the life her late grandpa did as he drank a coffee on all corners of the globe. Heartbroken middle-aged trucker Russ Jacobs would rather spend long hours on the road than fall in love again. They all befriend Shelley. Each one desires something different, but none of them know why she haunts the rest area.
Unexpected death, disease, and accidents force Mike, Sarah, and Russ to make hard decisions to move forward, ripping them from their pasts. Can these three motley friends find healing in their own lives and help a woman who says she doesn’t need anyone, even as her brokenness spills onto them?
It's quite common for people to be drawn to beauty spots. They share an appreciation for these places. Is it really a stretch to think they could also be drawn to places that conjure up a more morose association or sense of despondency. Perhaps also being able to perceive someone who is lost or in need, and in doing so also reflect on their own problems.
The lives of Mike, Sarah, and Russ intersect with a strange forlorn figure. A woman who sits in the same place come rain, sun, snow or high winds, whilst repeating certain numbers to herself. One by one they are drawn to this strange women who doesn't seem to care about herself or her surroundings. She just is.
It's a contemporary read - a contemplative read about despair and the need for human interaction.
Hilston creates this micro-cosmos inside a bigger picture, and in a way the world or rather humankind is structured with small connected worlds. Worlds made up of emotions, be they painful or joyful ones. People looking for comfort, connection, support and kindness. It seems like such a simple thing, but in a world full of people who are for the majority quite disconnected from themselves and each other kindness is no longer a natural reaction.
I think one of the more poignant aspects of the read is Hilston making a point about loneliness. Feeling lonely doesn't automatically equate to being alone. You can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely. Sometimes you just need someone to reach out and care, and take note that you are there.
Buy Mile Marker 139 at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Pub date 13 Dec 2019. Buy at Amazon com.
Read my reviews of Rocks and Flowers in a Box and A Laughing Matter of Pain by Cynthia Hilston.
