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Literary Las Vegas: Janet Coursey

It’s been four years since Sara Dobson’s husband, James, died from lung cancer. She feels his absence every day, but her life is full. Work and her connection to her four children and her grandchildren keep the 50-year-old widow going. While preparing for her youngest child’s 21st birthday, Sara rediscovers a side of herself she thought had died with James. Harboring secrets she can’t share for fear of hurting the people she loves, she turns in frustration to her grandfather clock, a 146-year-old heirloom she learns holds generations of her family’s darkest tragic secrets. Sara’s discovery is shared in Janet Coursey’s novel “The Secrets of Time,” which is set to be followed by “The Secrets of Time — Treasures of the Heart.” Coursey, who moved to Las Vegas in 1989 with the intention of opening a feed store, is a social media specialist for a local car dealership and is co-host of the radio show “Aspects of Writing” with James Kelly and Dana Micheli. The show is broadcast at 2 p.m. every other Tuesday and can be found at klav1230am.com. For more on the author, visit janetcoursey.com.

Excerpt from ‘The Secrets of Time’

“Oh my God, Sara, what is wrong with you?” She says out loud, once the door is safely shut behind her. “Are you afraid to talk to him now? Go back out there and be a neighbor, see what’s on his mind.” She hears the lawn mower start and decides to go dress first. After dressing, she notices the mower is still going so she decides to call Jessica back. On her way back to the kitchen she can’t resist a visit to the Grandfather clock. “I think I’ve made a big mistake. I can’t un-ring the bell. I’m wishing I could turn back your hands and just start all over. Ah, but it was so wonderful to feel like a whole woman again. I didn’t think I missed that, but I really, really did. And David made me feel so… oh, I don’t know how to describe it. How can a person feel so good and at the same time so ashamed of what they have done? Well, I’d better call Jessie or they will start wondering where I’m at, and to say I was home and not answering my phone would just cause me more problems.” Somehow, venting to the Grandfather clock always makes her feel better. She takes a deep breath and picks up her phone.

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