She felt like her little heart was beating out of her chest. Peeking through a crack in the door, 10-year-old Vanessa witnesses a horrific scene. Following the altercation, a neighbor finds their mother bleeding and unconscious. And her children are missing. What happened to Ella and her kids?
“Vex and Valor” (meaning tormented and fearless) is the saga of two families from completely different sides of the track, literally. Tim and Vee Crawford have a picture-perfect life. They are parents to four children and are lifelong residents of a reputable housing development in Brookton, PA. Georgia and Zeke Hayes struggle to make ends. They move with four of their seven children here from Tennessee, landing in a cul-de-sac for the railroad personnel searching for a better life. The families become introduced through the courtship that leads to marriage for their two youngest children – Ella Crawford and Ben Hayes.
Ella is fighting to survive in critical condition. Is Ben responsible for what happened to Ella? Many think so, while others think it was an accident. Searching for the truth, we watch the families become even more entangled and continue to seek for answers about Ella. The Crawford and Hayes children grow into adults, each with theories and more secrets. The saga starts to unravel mounting to its climax when the truth about Ella is finally revealed.
Targeted Age Group:: 18-98
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Three things inspired me to write this book. First was my deceased younger brother, Jeff Range. I've written short stories since I was in grade school. He was always the first to read them, give critique and suggestions. As we grew up together, he pushed me to keep writing. When we became adults, he was my inspiration to continue writing in any form I could. He told me it was my gift. After he died, I started this book. I was also inspired by two other writers that guided and coached me. My dear friend, Kurt Schindler, passed away in 2019. He wrote screenplays. He was a writer for the TV show "The Golden Girls" and he wrote plays for our local theater group that were original and creative. He passed me knowledge and encouragement. Finally, multiple sclerosis inspired me to write. Since my diagnosis in 2016 I've made writing my job. I worked 50 hours a week on my feet before the attack on my spine. My ability to walk is declining rapidly and I can no longer drive. So I write. I love it.
