Born and raised in the San Luis Valley in Colorado, I was used to my imagination being in the clouds at 8,500 feet up. It was easy to get caught daydreaming with such a beautiful place to live in. I was blessed with three beautiful daughters, so school always played a big part in what we did. My first book, Prisoners in Time: An Amy Jones Adventure, came about when my oldest daughter decided to break the mold for traditional science fair projects and create a video where she goes back in time to meet the inventor of plastics.
As the scenes progressed, we built a cardboard "Time Machine" complete with Christmas tree lights, controls, and a seat. She got an A+. Later, my youngest daughter asked for the time machine to come to her classroom for a show and tell. She spent an hour telling me about the adventures she and her friends had in the cardboard box, but that was what I needed to start writing.
This new book was inspired by a photo of a rose lying on a log that is resting on a beach off the coast of Washington State. I Love's Unexpected Bloom was born from that photo. I feel so very blessed to join the ranks of authors before me and to know that people will be able to escape into a world where a seemingly normal woman can turn bad for money. I will continue to write now that I have this wonderful platform to share them on. This book is also available on Draft2Digital. https://books2read.com/u/mda70l. Enjoy the book.
Beyond my books, I also write 'An American Boy in Russia' — a real-life memoir blog about leaving Colorado, falling in love, and building a new life abroad. If Prisoners in Time or Love's Unexpected Bloom feels personal, that's because I've lived through my own unexpected story too. Follow along at: https://kennethdrakebooks.com/blog/an-american-boy-in-russia-1.
Born and raised in the San Luis Valley in Colorado, I was used to my imagination being in the clouds at 8,500 feet up. It was easy to get caught daydreaming with such a beautiful place to live in. I was blessed with three beautiful daughters, so school always played a big part in what we did. My first book, Prisoners in Time: An Amy Jones Adventure, came about when my oldest daughter decided to break the mold for traditional science fair...
The next hour went by quickly as we continued to add to our history and special events in our lives. As we continued to talk, her English got better, and I started speaking normally. It was a nice change and added fuel to my growing feelings for her.
I couldn’t help but look past her to the grove of trees that lined both sides of the road for miles at a time. She told me that with Chelny being at the same meridian level as Alaska, they could get as much as...
Liliya and I walked a few blocks when we saw a restaurant. I was starving, so I nodded toward the door hoping she would get the hint. “Ah. You want eat? Okay.” That was all it took, and we went inside.
The inside was so much like an American restaurant that I almost forgot where I was. We found a nice table toward the back of the room, and I took a chair on the back side so I could look at the people and the traffic outside.
By the time we reached the apartment Liliya had rented, I thought my neck was going to break from trying to see everything. Funny-looking cars, brick buildings where they didn’t even scrape off the mortar, and so many people.
I thought back to the map I had found of Tatarstan, and this city of Kazan. The information I found said that the population of Kazan was 1,118,000. 2005 was also the year that Kazan celebrated its 1,000th year. Denver only had a...
