Tuesday, December 23, 2008

UnCOVERing Blue's Sequel



The sequel to BLUE will be published in April '09. Part of it takes place at Georgia Warm Springs Foundation. And the cover includes a vintage photo from the campus pool.

Here's one of Ann Fay's moments in the therapeutic water there.

The first thing she did was start moving my legs to loosen them up. She was so gentle it reminded me of what the attendant had said: “Just relax and let us take care of you.”

And I have to tell you it felt so good after all the bearing up I’d done with my family, and going back to school, and even working for Ruth Whitener. I couldn’t hold on anymore. The tears started slipping out of the corners of my eyes.

Janice was turning my leg in a circular motion, but she stopped. “Did that hurt?”

I shook my head. I kept my eyes shut, but they still leaked and the tears ran off my face and into the Warm Springs pool. It seemed to me like that clean sparkly pool was a good place to let go of my sorrows.


Janice explained everything she was doing to me. She bent my legs in different positions. She rotated them. She rested my feet on her shoulders and massaged my leg muscles with her fingers. I don’t think she missed a single muscle from my belly to my toes. And she worked on my left arm because it had been affected by polio too. “You still have some weakness in your shoulder,” she said.


I think I must have cried the whole time. Not out loud or anything, just to myself. It was like Janice was working loose all the sadness and worry in me. I hoped it would go down the drain without clogging the pool filters.

7 comments:

  1. Love the cover and can't wait to read the book! Hope you have a great time with family in NC and in Pa.
    Carol

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  2. I can tell I love the story already. Neat cover. Can't wait for the complete read. I am sure it will be a great additon to BLUE. I love it when I realize any book I'm reading has a sequel.

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  3. All of the feelings I have as I read Blue to my students each year flooded back as I read the excerpt. I can't wait for the sequel to come out. As soon as I read Blue the first time, I wanted to know what happened next. I love it!
    Barbara Walter

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  4. All of the feelings I have as I read Blue to my students each year flooded back as I read the excerpt. I can't wait for the sequel to come out. I love it!

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  5. Oh, thank you! It's reassuring to know that you felt as if you had another encounter with Ann Fay. She is anxious to tell you her story!

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  6. Just finished reading BLUE myself and will finish reading it in the next week or so with my 9th grade English class. It's exciting that you're working on a sequel..Good Luck! Hope it'll be out in time to read it to my students in May!

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  7. Trying to find the movie, "Back Then: The Miracle of Hickory" that was mentioned in BLUE and in your research resources; wanted to show it to the students when we finish reading BLUE. I actually found a copy in Hickory's public libraries, but not sure that will be a feasible access. Also, found Richard Eller's website (the author, I hope) at CVCC; perhaps he has copies??? Any suggestions you may have for finding this video locally (I'm in Virginia), would be greatly appreciated! Thanks,
    Candy

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