Title: Changing Spaces
Author: Nancy King
Genre: Women's Fiction
Published 2014 by Plain View Press
“How is it possible that one minute
I’m a wife
and the next I’m a discard?”
—Changing Spaces, Nancy King
Santa Fe author Nancy King’s newest novel (Jan. 2014, Plain View Press) about a
Midwestern runaway soon-to-be-divorced wife who gets a “makeover” in Santa Fe
could end up doing for New Mexico what Moby Dick did for whales.
Changing Spaces
grew out of three incidents. “First there was a woman who said to me, ‘That was
before I lost my life,’” said King. “Her husband of 40 years had divorced her
to marry a younger woman.” The following week, another friend “showed up in
tears because her husband wanted out of their 40-year marriage so he could
marry his secretary.” By the time Nancy King spotted an Op-Ed about the author
of a book that touted the joys of being a stay-at-home-wife whose husband now
wanted a divorce after 40 years—she knew she was on to something.
Into this familiar
scenario, King injected a “What if?”. What if a Midwestern 60-year old woman
woke up as she always did, made love with her husband of 40 years, and several
hours later, learned her husband had fallen for a younger woman and wanted a
divorce—and what if—she
hit the road and ended up in the healing bear-hug that is Santa Fe, New Mexico?
As one reviewer put it: “Heartbreak turns to intrigue. A season of grief leads
to a wig, a closet, a script, cookie recipes, new friendships, and a wide-open
future.”
“Hey, ya got the Santa Fe idea. No
need to be who you were.
Be who you want to be.” —Changing
Spaces, Nancy
King
In 2001, King moved from New York City “and never looked back.” The decision to
leave friends and job would have been bold for anyone, but since 1985, King has
been living with a rare form of leukemia known as Hairy Cell.
“When I realized I had a chronic disease with no cure, I made the decision that
it was not going to run or ruin my life. I focus on what I can do; not what I
lost or what I used to be able to do. Even when I don’t feel well, I force
myself to walk or hike or play tennis because I always feel better afterward.”
The unsinkable Nancy King has trekked Thailand, hiked the Grand Canyon, and
“run people 50 years her junior into the ground,” according to one friend. “She
overcame the odds of a disastrous diagnosis.”
Laura tried on outfit after outfit,
hoping to alter her personality
from the outside in. She practiced
taking bigger steps…
—Changing Spaces, Nancy King
Why Santa Fe? “The nature around Santa Fe is spectacular. Many people find it
has a magical energy that renews and regenerates. Even those born in New Mexico
talk about this area’s special energy, nature, culture.”
It’s not unusual for
newcomers to experience difficulties. “It’s as if Santa Fe were trying to spit
them out. Those who manage to survive their initial problems often experience
personal transformations that they couldn’t have articulated before coming.”
Nancy King also authored the novels, Morning Light, A Woman Walking, and The Stones Speak, which was optioned for a film and won
first place in the New Mexico Presswomen’s Communications Contest. She has
facilitated international arts-based healing workshops, which she detailed in Dancing
With Wonder: Self-Discovery through Stories.
“If
there is a theme that runs throughout my writing, it is an exploration of the
need to reconnect with the disconnected Self after trauma,” King said. “I’m
interested in what happens when characters realize their old lives and
ways no longer serve them.”
What helps the most when living with illness or a life out of balance? “Having
a sense of humor about every aspect of life. And good friends.”
Just as in her novel
where Santa Fe women form a circle of care around the stranger in their midst,
King’s friends have seen her through the best and the worst.
“When a nurse
expressed concern that I don’t have family here to support me while I undergo
treatments, I told her. ‘Don’t worry. My friends are the best support network
in the world.’”
==============
Nancy King, Ph.D. lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she weaves, writes, and
finds inspiration hiking in the mountains. She is a contributing writer for the
online journal Your Life Is a Trip.
To read more about Changing Spaces and check out early reviews,
please visit:
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