Fatal Flaws

Biographies and memoirs have always held a special interest for author Connie Lounsbury. She has a strong belief that everyone should write their own story. When she wrote Fatal Flaws (reissue of book Kathleen Creek), it was the story of her grandmother’s life told in both fiction and nonfiction. She had never met her grandmother, but only discovered the truth of what happened after her father had died. With nothing but an old court file and her aunt’s memories, Lounsbury wove true events into a fiction novel.

Connie Lounsbury is an acclaimed author, public speaker, and ghostwriter with seven books and 34 short stories published in the United States. She has received several prestigious writing awards, including the 1998 Guideposts Writer’s Contest and First Place Award in the inspirational category of the 2002 Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. She lives with her husband near Monticello, MN.

Fatal Flaws is based on Lounsbury's true family story. After discovering her grandmother (Irene) was not the person family members believed her to be, Lounsbury felt the need to exonerate her. Her father, Jonathon in the book, was one of Irene's children. He never talked about his childhood nor about his mother. Lounsbury wanted to understand more about her father, how his growing up years impacted his adult life and the choices he made with his own family. Lounsbury is a master storyteller weaving what little she knew about her grandmother into a gripping and engrossing fiction story. She created characters, motives and events while staying faithful to the time period of the early 1900's with a Minnesota and North Dakota prairie landscape backdrop.

Irene loved two men at the same time, which ultimately was responsible for her demise. When Irene's husband abandons her and their children in the early 20's Irene makes many attempts to turn her life around. She tries, in various ways, to earn an income to support her children. When circumstances make that impossible, her vulnerability is exposed. The double standard in that era made it easy for those around her to take advantage of her. The neighbor wants her baby, the banker wants her loan repaid, the doctor wants her farm, the judge wants her two little boys, and the town telegrapher just wants her. Each are pillars of their community with secrets they don’t want others to know.

Irene, who didn’t want to have children until after she had them, fiercely loves each of her children. She desperately tries to keep them from starving while the community brands her as disreputable. Her love for a childhood sweetheart and a horrible truth that she didn’t want to believe reveal secrets of child abuse and murder. What happened to make the man she loved willing to watch his children starve to death? Irene was a victim of a judgmental society with little compassion for a woman. The hardships of living in the Midwest as a single mom in a male dominated society were challenging enough and then factoring in issues of equality. Fatal Flaws continually places Irene in dire circumstances. It is a roller coaster of emotions.

Lounsbury's strengths as a writer are evident throughout the book. Her word choices feel natural and smooth for the time period. They capture authentic voices caught in a web of tension. Lounsbury successfully masters the dialect of Kentucky mountain talk where Irene's husband Sam's family lives. Lounsbury's rich description of the landscape with its changing seasons impacts the main characters, helping the reader imagine a life stepping back in time. Lounsbury must have done extensive research to be able to accurately depict a time period from long ago. She gives attention to detail with clothes, home furnishings, farming practices, conversations and social mores. Fatal Flaws tells a story in a character driven manner. Each of the main characters is fully developed. While Irene does have several flaws which spiraled her downward descent, Lounsbury successfully creates empathy for the character. She shows Irene's strengths as well as her vulnerability. The bittersweet ending is fictitious but certainly plausible. There is much to admire about this author's style and creativity developing this story.

To learn more about Connie Lounsbury, her books, upcoming events and newsletter check out her website https://connielounsbury.com/ 

Words from publisher of Fatal Flaws pyramidpublishers.com

Connie Lounsbury is an author who is a gem in the storytelling field. When I saw the first draft of Fatal Flaws, I thought, "This is a book I want to publish." I'm looking forward to publishing her next novel called Shattered Dreams of a Soldier’s Wife which tells the story of a young mother who dreamed of their happy life after her husband returns home from fighting the Vietnam war, only to have him arrive home an angry, bitter, man who cannot accept the loss of his arms and legs.

Meet Connie at The Northwoods Art and Book Festival August 10, 9 AM-3 PM. She will be selling and signing copies of her book Fatal Flaws. She will also have on hand previously published books to sell.