A Tapestry of Tangled Lives
Date Published: April 6, 2026
Publisher: Serapis Bey Publishing, Arizona, US www.parulagrawal.com
A story of human connection between twins, between lovers, between comrades in war, set against the shadow of the evangelical religion and its judgments."
Based on a childhood of shadowy secrets surrounding her parents’ marriage and the rigid judgment of the Evangelical religion, the author attempts to find her truth. A work of historical fiction and romance, it spans the era of WWII and beyond, weaving the story of her father, mother and aunt (her mother’s twin sister). The unexpected twists and turns mirror those of our own lives, and readers can empathize and identify with the characters’ humanity as they struggle with their flaws. The power of religious judgement is explored along with the strength and resilience of individuals challenged by the ethics of life. This is also a fascinating study of the complexities of being twins. With the strongest of bonds that overwhelms their very different personalities, their love for the same man creates a gulf between them that threatens their entire adult relationship. It is also a story of a man and how he navigates his own journey after love and loss. When his WWII experience takes him to countries he has never dreamed of seeing, and opens him to the excitement of new cultures, he finds new meaning. At the same time, his bonds to his comrades in arms and their shared experiences of battlefield traumas leaves him with emotional scars. A story of secrets and the power of love, the themes of self-doubt and second chances are embedded in the narrative, along with the acceptance of one’s actions following painful choices.
A story of human connection between twins, lovers, comrades during World War 11, families, and generational trauma, set across the United States and Europe and against the shadow of the Evangelical religion and its judgments. A family saga of secrets, shadows, and unspoken enduring love, and its impact across three generations, based on a true story of lived experience. A work of romantic, historical fiction, The Man in the Middle; A Tale of Tangled Lives is based on the true story of the author’s parents. It follows their youth in the early 1900s in US, through the years of WWII in Europe, and after, and their lives as friends, lovers, parents, and elderly individuals.
This is a story of love and its many forms. There are no heroes or demons, only people dealing with their humanity. Or maybe there are heroes: Luke, as he navigates his life honourably and responsibly, while harbouring feelings for more than one woman; Anna as she comes to terms with her selfish impulses and attempts to overcome them; Pierrette, who recognizes and accepts that she cannot give Luke the life he wants, and that their love is not enough. Karoline is perhaps the true heroine of the book. A victim of the religious beliefs she is trapped by, she finds it impossible to love herself. Instead, she spends her life feeling inferior to her sister and undeserving of Luke’s love. At Luke’s passing, she finally receives the confirmation of her worth and her place as the love of his life.
Is There
a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
The only
“message” I would want to come through is that we are all flawed, “imperfectly perfect”
and that connects us to each other.
Is there anything you find
particularly challenging in your writing?
That would be dialog. To find the
right tone and words that each character would use is daunting. In my efforts
to avoid the “contrived”, I often find myself changing the dialog numerous
times as I try to get closer to the authentic selves of the characters.
How many books have you written
and which is your favorite?
I have only written one so that would have to qualify
as my favorite.
If You
had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you
pick and why?
For Luke, it
would be Daniel Craig. I feel he has that “non-Hollywood” look that exemplifies
the people who occupy our world. They are not “picture-perfect” but are real
and you can relate to them. For Karoline, it would be Diane Lane with her
vulnerability to events that can result in elation but also despair. For Anna,
it would be Diane Keaton with her quirkiness that is so endearing. Since Daniel
Craig and Diane Lane are both too old to play the youthful characters in the
book and since Diane Keaton is no longer alive, younger actors would have to be
found who embody their characteristics.
When did you begin writing?
I began writing as a child, first in a diary and then
I became enamored with short stories. However, it wasn’t until I was in my 70’s
that I felt the need and desire to write about my parents. They had died and I
was missing them. I began writing about them in an attempt to keep them with me
and to understand them as people and not just my parents.
How long did it take to complete
your first book?
It took five years while I sorted out the notes my
parents left and researched the details of the places they lived and what life
was like during their childhoods and young adult years.
Did you have an author who
inspired you to become a writer?
I wish I could give you some high-brow names that
would reflect my deep intelligence and appreciation for the style and content
of some of the strongly recognized authors of our time, but that’s not me. In
all honesty, the book that inspired in me a desire to write was The Shell
Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher. Her characters and style of writing captured
me completely and I felt like I was part of the story. The other book that affected me greatly was Under
the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. It inspired me to follow my dream and buy
a place in France where I have spent half my time for the last 18 years. My
favorite books are ones that I can “live in”.
What is your favorite part of the
writing process?
I love the editing process after the
initial “vomit” of ideas is over. The guts of the story are there along with
the emotional highs and lows but in crude form. I find it enjoyable to tweak
it, delete and add things. Although I love to become completely immersed in first
pouring out the story, there is an initial discomfort, facing that blank page
and not knowing where to begin. For me, that is terrifying as well as
exhilarating.
Describe your latest book in 4
words.
The words I would use for my latest (and only) book
are sticky, jagged, compassionate, and crimson. Sticky because it
isn’t clean or simple; jagged because there are sharp corners that
complicate the story; compassionate because it shows (or I hope it does)
that we are all worthy of love and understanding; and crimson because
life is vivid with color and deserves to be seen.
Can You
share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your
writing?
I want to
create short stories and flash fiction that resonate with the realities and
challenges that we all face. I also want to explore the eccentricities in each
personality that define us and determine how we live our lives.
About the Author
"The author lives half-time in San Diego, CA, and half-time in a small village in Southern France. This is her exploration of the unexplained secrets that shadowed her childhood and the consequences that haunt all our choices."
“I wrote this book to come to terms with my past. I wanted to understand the people who raised me, through the fictional characters of Karoline and Luke, who represent my parents and my mother’s twin sister, Anna, who represents my aunt. My childhood was full of love, but as I watched the individuals around me, I sensed a drama that excluded me. I knew my father had been in WWII and experienced Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge and much more during the four years he spent in Europe. The way he talked about the world he had discovered there intrigued me and I knew there was more to tell, which he never spoke about. My mother adored my father, but there was a tension in the room when my aunt was present. A connection between my father and my aunt was obvious despite their effort to hide it. Through the years, there were inadvertent comments that hinted of a previous relationship between them, but it wasn’t until the end of my father’s life that conversations took place that enlightened me. I didn’t ask, but they each wanted to tell their story, their truth about what happened. This book is my truth, my experience in living with them and loving them. It is my attempt to honor them by exploring their humanness and accepting that we are each a complex entity.”
Contact Links
Instagram: @julie.lee.williams
https://mybook.to/TheManintheMiddle
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