Unlike most aspiring writers clogging the new release lists on Amazon.com., self-published author Lonna Lisa Williams has something to say and she says it well. And the joy of reading her work is discovering the vast improvement seen from book to book.

"I Saw You in the Moon" picks up where "Crossing the Chemo Room" left off, recapping and reporting on what has happened to many who appeared in that book, and then continuing with the diary-style memoir that has enough in common with the average reader to keep the pages turning.

Normally memoirs are reserved for the rich and famous. Publishers salivate over the kiss and tell 'now it can be told' voyeurism that makes memoirs sellable. Author Williams is neither rich or famous, and she has no sordid secrets to reveal, so what is the attraction? Frankly, it is Williams' ability to connect with her reader. It is her ability to make one feel she is sitting across the kitchen table telling the latest tale about the mundane aspects of family life which, pieced together as a whole, make life worth living.

This is never more apparent than when, in a heartbreaking essay, Williams recalls trying to convince a friend from her church that suicide is not the answer. "Effects of suicide last a lifetime--effects you will never know," Williams pleads. While unsuccessful--the friend ends up killing herself--Williams' faith and strength through family see her through and even though we may not personally know the people intertwined in her stories, we care, and the pages keep turning.

That Williams is able to at once report on a family vacation to New Zealand and then switch gears to recall the traumatic Southern California wildfires as she and her family evacuate to safety speaks of her gifts as a writer.

Williams also laments the world of publishing, comparing it to dark imagery seen in "The Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy. "The publishing world is a Tower guarded by the Dark Lord," she begins. "If you can't get in through the big black gate, like Frodo, find another way."

Williams and clan jet down under and upon their return, "I find a generic letter from Harcourt saying they don't accept unsolicited manuscripts."
When tea and chocolate fail to salve her disappointment, Williams goes into the forest, sits under a tree and prays.

"I Saw You in the Moon" is a gentle book from a caring and sweet individual who--in spite of the missed opportunities of the publishing world--deserves to be read. All of Williams' books are available at Del Lago's in Lake Arrowhead Village, or online.