Moondance

1. Cover
   
2. TitlePage
   
3. Copyright
   
4. Dedication
   
5. What Readers Are Saying
   
6. Acknowledgements
   
7. Chapter 1
   
8. Chapter 2
   
9. Earthbound
   
10. Chapter 3
    
11. Chapter 4
    
12. Chapter 5
    
13. Chapter 6
    
14. Chapter 7
    
15. Chapter 8
    
16. Chapter 9
    
17. Chapter 10
    
18. Chapter 11
    
19. Chapter 12
    
20. Chapter 13
    
21. Chapter 14
    
22. Chapter 15
    
23. Chapter 16
    
24. Chapter 17
    
25. Chapter 18
    
26. Chapter 19
    
27. Chapter 20
    
28. Chapter 21
    
29. Chapter 22
    
30. Water Rising
    
31. Chapter 23
    
32. Chapter 24
    
33. Chapter 25
    
34. Chapter 26
    
35. Chapter 27
    
36. Chapter 28
    
37. Chapter 29
    
38. Chapter 30
    
39. Chapter 31
    
40. Chapter 32
    
41. Chapter 33
    
42. Chapter 34
    
43. Chapter 35
    
44. Chapter 36
    
45. Chapter 37
    
46. Chapter 38
    
47. Chapter 39
    
48. Chapter 40
    
49. Chapter 41
    
50. Chapter 42
    
51. Chapter 43
    
52. Chapter 44
    
53. Chapter 45
    
54. Chapter 46
    
55. Chapter 47
    
56. Chapter 48
    
57. Chapter 49
    
58. Chapter 50
    
59. Chapter 51
    
60. Chapter 52
    
61. Moondance
    
62. Chapter 53
    
63. Chapter 54
    
64. Chapter 55
    
65. Chapter 56
    
66. Chapter 57
    
67. Chapter 58
    
68. Althea’s Choice
    
69. Chapter 59
    
70. Chapter 60
    
71. Chapter 61
    
72. Chapter 62
    
73. Chapter 63
    
74. Chapter 64
    
75. Chapter 65
    
76. Chapter 66
    
77. Chapter 67
    
78. Chapter 68
    
79. Chapter 69
    
80. Chapter 70
    
81. Chapter 71
    
82. Chapter 72
    
83. Chapter 73
    
84. Chapter 74
    
85. Chapter 75
    
86. Chapter 76
    
87. Chapter 77
    
88. Life is Like a Ride
    
89. More from Karen M. Black
    
90. Reflection Questions
    
91. Althea’s Reading List
    
92. About the Author
    
93. Moondance-Ricochet
    

Copyright © 2008 by Karen M. Black

All Rights Reserved. Published and printed in Canada by Ricochet Publishing, a division of Ricochet Consulting Ltd. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or used in any form or manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in reviews and critical articles.

For reader comments, orders, press and media inquiries,

see www.karenmblack.com.

FIRST EDITION

Cover design by Angel Guerra, Archetype

Cover image by Vinita Phord, Beryl Communications

ebook production by Tannice Goddard, Soul Oasis Networking

Author photo by Leigh Tynan www.tynanstudio.com

Makeup by Suzanne Cyr www.prettiface.com

Publication consultation by Arnold Gosewich

Lyrics to Sowelu, The Line and Tribe by Willy Porter (Falling Forward), used with permission.

Permission for quote by Bill Hicks requested.

National Library Archives Cataloguing in Publication

Black, Karen M. (Karen Mary), 1964–

Moondance / Karen M. Black.

e-pub

978-0-9784838-0-7

Also available in paperback

ISBN 978-0-9784838-1-4

1. Title.

PS8603.l255M65 2008 C813’.6 C2007-906414-0

Disclaimer: Moondance is a work of fiction. All characters, events and some settings described are imaginary, and any similarity to real persons, places or events is purely coincidental. Real brand names, company names or names of public personalities may be employed for credibility as they are part of our culture. Regardless of context, their use is meant neither as endorsement nor criticism. All other names, products or brands are inventions of the author’s imagination. Ricochet Publishing and its directors, employees, distributors, retailers, wholesalers and assigns disclaim any liability or responsibility for the author’s statements, words, ideas, criticisms or observations. Ricochet Publishing assumes no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions.

In loving memory of Yvonne Karkas.

When it was dark, you were a light.

What readers are saying

MAGICAL
—
I love the depth, spirit and magic of Karen Black’s first book,
Moondance
. It will resonate with your heart, challenge your sense of mystery and inspire your soul.
— Linda Brady, President, Creative Choices, Inc. and author of
Discovering Your Soul Mission

THOUGHT-PROVOKING
—
Moondance
is the kind of book that not only entertains and keeps your heart involved, but also informs and keeps your head engaged.
Karen skillfully weaves her themes together to create a moving, thought-
provoking novel that will leave the reader thinking about the book long after it’s finished. I thoroughly enjoyed this read!
— Cynthia Barlow, President, Constellation Learning and author of
Chicken Shift for the Soul

FAST-PACED
—
A message left on Karen’s voice mail (verbatim)
“Karen, it’s Dee, I had to call and tell you I’ve just read the first 119 pages of your book and oh my God it’s absolutely incredible. I am sitting in a mall doing a promotion and I can’t stop reading the book. Anyway, absolutely fabulous I love it, it’s got my attention. I don’t want to put it down ... it’s your fault. Congratulations, I can’t wait for the next page.”
— Dee Miller, Executive Director, Renewed Strength, age 41

RAW AND GUTSY
—
Raw human emotion where desire collides with fear, fantasy interrupts, challenges abound and hope is restored. For the avid imagination and gutsy risk-taker. A ride for explorers of life’s mysteries untold.
— Linda Plater, Writer and Media Consultant, age 42

VISIONARY
—
Moondance
is visionary. This book follows its own path, as if paving the way to a new paradigm. It captures the vulnerability of the strong, contemporary, single woman in a way that is deep, honest and truly inspired with new thoughts about the human spirit. I relate to Althea on many levels.
Moondance
engrossed me completely. When I finished the last page, I had to tear myself away. The characters felt like new friends.
— Sandra Bekhor MBA, B.Sc., President, Bekhor Management, age 39

MULTI-LAYERED
—
Moondance
is a sensuous and thrilling exploration of the human heart. Deeply character driven and compassionate, it explores what it is to be on this earth and live life in an ever changing, complex and dynamic spiritual and natural world. Honest and realistic in its exploration of modern women and our layered relationships with our mothers, our friends, our careers, our spirituality and the many men who are involved along the way. In all, an amazing feat and an incredible read!
— Ashleigh Hendry, Actor

SENSUOUS
—
Moondance
is beautiful and sensuous and explores many of the same questions I’ve been asking myself lately. Even though some of the conclusions Althea came to were different than I might have made, Moondance even left room for differences. I thoroughly enjoyed
Moondance
.
— Alene Clark M.Ed., retired Child and Family Therapist, age 62

EMOTIONALLY-RICH
—
In reading
Moondance
, I felt like I knew the heroine like a friend. I could feel her pain in the first scene, and then she falls in a rabbit hole. What a ride! With twists and turns I never expected. Doing the delicate dance with emotions is never easy, but
Moondance
makes it rich and entertaining. What a great read, I was on the edge of my seat. Althea and Michael have this air of restrained optimism which make them all the more human. Karen Black is a true storyteller.
— Roxanne Embleton, Patient Advisor, The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, age 41

REAL
—
Karen is an amazing writer — the characters became very real to me, and
Moondance
describes an amazing tale that incorporates many different ideas into one uniform concept. I’m in total awe of how she did it ... I really, really enjoyed
Moondance
!
— Angela Jennings, Executive Producer, Fusion Television, age 34

ABSORBING
—
I thoroughly enjoyed reading
Moondance
. I found the characters absorbing and I especially enjoyed all the information about tarot cards, and what they mean. This book was “spellbinding” and the romance and inter-relationships kept my interest.
— Sue Spivak, Traffic Co-ordinator,Global Television, age 55

A DELIGHT
—
Moondance
is engrossing, and an absolute delight to read. From the first few pages, I was swept into the emotional and spiritual journey of Althea Brecht.
— Brenda Girdwood, Owner and Operator, Brenda Y. Girdwood’s Personal Concierge Services, age 54

acknowledgements

AS MOONDANCE IS PUBLISHED, I celebrate the twelfth anniversary of its conception. In 1996, I birthed the first one hundred and twenty pages in a curious, painful, unstructured wave. These pages turned out to be the book’s climax.

So first, I’d like to thank friend and fellow writer, Cynthia Barlow of Constellation Learning for creating the Trust Program and for inspiring me to finish what I started. Thanks also to karmic astrologer Linda Brady of Creative Choices for helping me get to the bottom of it all. My deepest appreciation to Dr. Wayne Watson for our long, delightful patio conversations, and for your gentle encouragement, even when I wasn’t ready.