Of Family, Fame, and Glory

ABOUT THE BOOK

The peaceful, friendly, and lower-income rural community of Churchill Meadows on the mythical island of Oceana Panorama accommodates the staging of the beginning, development, and continuation to a great extent of this inspiring interactive novel with several twists and turns. It features mainly a precocious pre-teen girl Jelissa Giles whose brilliance encourages her mother Jennifer Jonas to further educate herself notwithstanding the latter's prevailing and former challenges.

The story also highlights several venues where lively and amiable discussions, animated interchanges, and friendly bantering involving Jennifer and her closely knit family members comprising her two adult daughters, - Gigi and Lola, who are twenty to eighteen years older than Jelissa.

She's the youngest of six children by twelve years and lives with only her mother, - a spinster, as her dad, probably disappointed at the criminality of his three sons, moved out when she was only four. Determined not to allow Jelissa to fall by the wayside and seeing much promise in her, Jennifer made a superhuman effort to guide the young girl along 'the right lines'. As she grew it became evident that Jelissa was very intuitive as she reasoned through imminent difficulties and sticky situations resulting in sensible and practical solutions including getting her first holiday job at a bookshop just before entering high school.

Being an accomplished and all-around straight 'A' student to achieving recognition as a medical doctor, Jelissa was sponsored

by a wealthy and influential gentleman to attend the University of Edinburg. There she met and married a direct descendant of her favorite author Robin Lewiston Stephens (Robert Louis Stevenson), an author whose books she first received as gifts when working at the bookshop back home.

As she made strides, so too did Jennifer, whose latent prowess and intelligence were rekindled, highlighted, and encouraged through the young girl's efforts and accomplishments as she (Jelissa) achieved more accolades in her academic achievements. Jennifer moved from being just another householder earning a meager income as a small farmer and part-time seamstress of uniforms for the local early childhood education school to attending evening classes at a nearby secondary institution. This was in her attempt to gain passes in two subjects in addition to the two she held before dropping out of high school due to an unplanned pregnancy.

As Jelissa soared, Jennifer's aspirations became more evident leading her to be more confident and expressive. She then began setting timelines for achieving her goals and remained steadfast in earning the necessary credentials to assist the headmistress of the community's infant school. She eventually became its principal. She wasn't finished yet as she yearned for more and started online courses to gain first and second degrees as an educator. She finally earned and graduated with a Doctorate in Sociology in an unforgettable and enchanting ceremony.

Attendees there were her loved ones, most notably Jelissa and her husband Robin Lewiston Stephens V1 who had planned their

vacation to the island to coincide with the occasion. It was an event where a proud, beaming, and fully accomplished Jennifer told the gathering of family members and friends that she would soon be earning yet another 'degree,' - as in 'Mrs.'. She then showcased a beautiful engagement ring courtesy of someone they knew, respected, and loved. Yes, it was another jewel in her crown.