Journey With the Comet: Beautiful Dreamer, the first of a two-set novel, is based on the life of Leona Haley—my amazing mother—of Bangor and Glenburn, Maine, and she obviously gets the credit for its creation. I already knew many facts about her life, but I learned many more from family members while writing this novel. In addition, while watching a Mark Twain documentary I learned of a remarkable coincidence that prompted the fantasy part of my mother’s story, and while researching her maternal ancestors—the Carvers of New England—I learned of another fascinating fact that significantly enhanced her story.
Many of the stories in this novel were a result of things I observed firsthand, or heard my mother mention, and others came from my elder siblings—Marcia, Pat, Bud, Marilyn and Marie—who related interesting real-life stories which were incorporated into this novel. I am particularly grateful to Bud and Marilyn for stories concerning their amusing relationship. All of these sibling stories appear in the second novel: Journey With the Comet: The Journey Continues, with—as Mark Twain would say—a few “stretches” here and there. In addition, I made use of a collection of letters that my mother received during WWII from her brother Wally, who was sent to England as a U.S. Army Tank Commander to participate in the 1944 D-Day Invasion at Normandy. Those letters, which also appear unchanged in the second novel, were extremely helpful in identifying significant dates and events related to Uncle Wally, and some of his friends and relatives.
Another person I am most grateful to is Aunt Gerry—Uncle Wally’s wife—who provided many details and stories for this novel, including things she heard from her late husband about his childhood and his U.S. Army experiences, much of which is included almost verbatim. In addition, I’m grateful to Helen Pass—my mother’s Canadian cousin from St. Stephens, New Brunswick—who provided ancestral details of the Haleys of Basswood Ridge, Canada. And last but certainly not least, I’d like to thank my niece Brenda for proofreading this novel and catching errors that I would never have caught.
However, as previously stated, this novel would never have been written but for my mother and it is my tribute to her.