My First Review of Backlight

“Backlight: A Fesler Family Chronicle” by Toby Fesler Heathcotte is a beautifully written account of the authors endeavor to trace her family’s genealogy, in an effort to better understand how one’s heritage helped determine who they are today.

Heathcotte did extensive background research, ancestral searches and interviews with living family members to gain the information on her family history. I thought this read would be one that would only benefit the Fesler family; however, I was quite intrigued by how ingenious the families were in the quest to survive, and how life was from 1684 to 1969. The author provided vivid descriptions of events, and I felt like I transported through history with the incredible narrative.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Backlight: A Fesler Family Chronicle" by Toby Fesler Heathcotte. It was informative, meaningful, and beautifully written.

Reviewed by Carol Hoyer for Reader Views (11/17)

 www.readerviews.com

Backlight Historical Novel Released

Backlight,  A Fesler Family Chronicle

In the theatre, a backlight illuminates the shapes of the actors and the set but masks the details to create illusory truth. Backlight tells the shadow tale of a family’s trek across continents and generations. One family journeyed from Switzerland in the 1600s through Germany to Pennsylvania Colony in the 1700s, into Indiana in the 1800s, and then to Arizona in the 1900s, always searching for a better life.

The Fesler saga mirrors the experiences of millions of Americans, no matter their heritage or land of origin. This work is part history, part fiction but a whole attempt to understand the people and forces that help shape us. The more we understand, the better we can consciously choose directions for our future as a family, a nation, and a world.

Available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle

Promise to Return

My new play with the theme of reincarnation is called Promise to Return.

A young man who remembers dying in the Vietnam War reincarnates compelled to find his previous family and fulfill the destiny denied him by death. His current family feels abandoned. Diego risks exposing his illegal status as a Mexican migrant and drives to Phoenix in 2014. He recognizes his home and some people but fails to convince them. An ally, Brianna, and other students accompany him to a protest for DACA "dreamers." The authorities deport Diego. He faces a dangerous return to Phoenix and the prejudice of family members who reject him.

Write to me on my website if you're interested.