KIRKLAND, Wash., July 7, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Sarah Heatherstone lives behind a black widow's veil, although she has never married. The veil shields her from herself and the painful scars of her past. When she inherits her family's estate in England, events begin to chip away at her cold wall of protection. In O'Vivian's The Mirror of Ravenwood (now available through AuthorHouse), Sarah meets a man who rekindles her desire for love and a child who opens her eyes to the light of life again.
Sarah's first order when she moves into Ravenwood Hall in 1816 is to have all mirrors removed. She has not viewed her own face for years because of scars so old she cannot recall how she got them. The servants deliberately disobey her, believing like many townspeople that she is insane or possessed.
For the previous eight years, Sarah lived in America. There, her spiritual guide, Two Wolves as One, encouraged her love of stone sculpting. Now, her sculptures are kept in the garden, a place she only visits at night.
Sarah meets Lord Alexander Amherst, her neighbor. This acquaintance fuels a dormant fire within her, one that makes her long for love again. When Sarah hears cries from the attic one morning, another character enters her life. Within the reflection of a mirror, a frail, bruised girl named Jane weeps. Sarah and Jane become friends, and the little girl helps Sarah confront her pain and her demons, including the most powerful one, "loneliness."
Alexander begins visiting Sarah in the garden at night. She starts trusting him, and a true friendship evolves. Alexander's father tells his son about her terrible past, and Alexander flees, believing he has no future with Sarah. In a suspenseful climax, he returns and declares his love, despite the fact that he has never seen her face. When she refuses to reveal herself, Alexander rips the veil from her face. They both are shocked at what they see.
The Mirror of Ravenwood is an intense novel that offers a glimpse into a damaged soul, told in the creative style of 19th-century authors such as Charlotte Bronte and Edgar Allen Poe.
O'Vivian has spent a lifetime writing and painting in a variety of styles, including impressionism in oil and surrealism in mixed media. She has won several awards for her visual art. A resident of the Pacific Northwest, O'Vivian holds degrees in psychology and sociology. She has published one other book, Diary of a Seeker: A Book of Poetry, Songs, and Art (also available through AuthorHouse). More information is available at www.ovivian.com.
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