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Sydell Voeller grew up in Washington State, but she has lived in Oregon for over thirty years. Throughout her twenty-year writing career, her published novels for teens and adults have reflected her love for the Pacific Northwest’s ocean beaches, inlets and waterways, evergreen forests, and mountains. Sydell resides in Oregon with her husband. They married in 1971 and have two grow sons and five grandchildren.
Pet lovers, the Voellers have provided a home for several cats, a dog, gerbils, hamsters, and a turtle--but not all at the same time! A small rodent cemetery still occupies one corner of their backyard. She and her husband enjoy camping, reading, playing Scrabble, day trips to the Oregon coast, and spending time with their grandchildren and two pampered felines.
When Sydell isn't writing, she enjoys camping, walking, amateur astronomy, reading, and surfing the web. In 1987 after the publication of her first novel, she was named by the Washington County Mushaw Center, Woman of the Year in Communications.
Formerly a registered nurse, Sydell now teaches writing correspondence courses, sponsored by the Long Ridge Writer’s Institute (a long-distance learning course in writing short stories and articles for adults) in West Redding, Connecticut.
Reviewed by Ellen Hogan for Readers' Favorite
April is a high school history teacher. She lives in the country by a forest and enjoys walking in the forest for relaxation. There is a pioneer woman's grave in the forest that April calls her special spot. She goes there to think, read poetry and just commune with nature. One day she is visiting the grave when she hears Matt and his father talking about trying to win a contract to cut down the timber in the forest. April tries to make Matt see that the grave should be preserved no matter what. But, Matt only sees that their workers have been without work and need the job to take care of their families. Both April and Matt work to stop a forest fire, April as a firefighter and Matt driving a Cat to make breaks. Just when they realize they are falling in love each feels there is too much conflict between them for them to have a lasting relationship.
Both April and Matt have their points of view and neither one is really looking at it from the other side. Matt is afraid that April will side with the environmentalists who have been plaguing his company. April just wants to get a bunch of concerned citizens to help her save something that to her is precious. Matt and April are both interested in preservation in their own way. Matt's solution showes the love he has for April and what is important to her. A tender love story about two very different people who seem so right for each other.
