Schizophrenia is an evil disease marked by a breakdown in the relation between thoughts, feelings and actions, frequently accompanied by delusions and retreat from social life. A daughter watches Mary, her mother, fall prey to this disease and sees her change from an attractive and beautiful woman to a shadow of her former self. This story tells of a daughter's anguish, dashed hopes and despair as she battles with Mary and tries to understand what is happening to her mother.It tells of Mary's anguish and fear as she is possessed by the demons of insanity. All who have contact with Mary in those dark years are affected adversely in some way or another. So many met with frustration as they tried to reason with her and failed. Mary is at last laid to rest but the repercussions of her frantic existence are far reaching for those who were closest to her.

This is a book of historical fiction. The story is loosely based on the life of my great-great-grandmother. The story spans one hundred years of Irish history. Connie, the main character in the book, lived through every year of the twentieth century. Connie was born in Belfast, North Ireland, in the year of 1900 and passed in the year of 2000. Connie lived through both the First and the Second World Wars. Connie also lived through what became known as the troubles in North Ireland. Hence the title, Connies Wars. Connie was born into an extremely wealthy family. It would be fair to say that Connie lived a life of privilege, wanting for nothing throughout her early years. As a child, Connie was taught by both her mother and father that to live a life of such privilege carried a huge responsibility. A duty to look after those less fortunate than she was. Connie was taught that it was the duty of the wealthy to provide work and security for the working classes. This was a lesson that Connie learned well and put it into practices throughout her life. Although a Unionist and loyal to the British Crown all her life, Connie never ever harbored bigoted thoughts of any kind. When dealing with people no matter their creed, Connie always treated people as just that, people.

Everybody loves a parade! Well, everybody except Evan… Evan, the county sheriff, knows that businesses are struggling in the small town of Clark Creek. But unlike the mayor—who happens to be his mother—he doesn’t think that hiring a “Christmas Consultant,” whatever that is, will help. Especially when this Christmas Consultant proposes a holiday parade that seems likely to overwhelm his staff and leave the town in even more debt. Mary is sure the parade is going to be a superb fundraiser. She’s going to make sure of it, overcoming every obstacle…including those put in place by the stubborn sheriff. But in the middle of her planning, the unexpected happens: she and Evan begin to see one another in a different light. Could the parade bring about more than one Christmas miracle? This funny, feel-good holiday romance is perfect for fans of Sheila Roberts, Susan Mallery, and Jenny Hale.