Author Name: Julia
Sherman
YA/New Adult/Adult:
Adult
Elizabeth Shulman,
a twenty-seven-year-old Russian Jewish immigrant, would like nothing
better than not to die a corporate accountant working at a Fortune
100 company. She wants to walk away from the corporate rat-race,
but...she’s still holding onto the painful memories from her poor
past—from the days her family came to America with nothing so that
their children could have a free life.
But soon one day’s
event turns Elizabeth’s world upside down and inside out. With her
bubble burst, Elizabeth decides to take the first step, quit her job.
However, her bullying boss from HELL offers her a promotion and a big
raise. But there’s a hitch. She must also agree to do pro bono work
to bolster the company’s image. Her pro bono assignment: tutor
unprivileged kids in a Southwest Chicago elementary school. And
there, in school, her life begins to change when she gets a peek at a
different type of world from her own.
Heart’s Storm is
a bitter-sweet romantic comedy about love and career, family and
friends, immigration and hardships, betrayal and forgiveness, and the
promise of the American dream.
“You still hope you’ll find
the job you love, don’t you?” she asked.
“Yes,”
I said. “Don’t you?”
“I
don’t know, Liz. It’s a job. Don’t you think it’ll suck
anywhere you go? At least this one pays well.”
“No,
I don’t believe that.” I looked down at the side of my left palm,
nervously tracing thin, curvy lines with my right index finger.
“Mandy, maybe when I get married, after we pay off our college
loans and save enough money to buy a house, I can quit my job, go
back to school, and then start over. I still hope that my life can
change,” I said quietly, afraid to look at her, as if her gaze
could alone take that away from me. “This just can’t be it, can
it?”
“What
will you study if you go back to school?” she asked.
I
shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. That’s the problem. But
something else, something that will actually bring my life
some…meaning. This just can’t be it, can it?” I repeated. “I
just wish I knew what it was, I wish I wasn’t so lost all the time.
Don’t you ever feel like that, Amanda?”
She
shook her head. “I know what I want. I want to have a child, and I
want to stay at home. But we can’t afford that. So even when we do
get pregnant, I still have to have a job.”
“Maybe
Sam will get a big promotion, and you won’t have to.”
“Maybe.”
She sighed heavily and I patted her shoulder.
Not
everyone’s a lost star in this universe. True. But somehow I always
managed to be one, and I mean that in every way possible.
Life’s
a mystery for some people and not so much for other people. Some know
what they want, like Amanda, and others, like me, always wonder. Not
about Justin, I’m sure about him and about our life together, very
sure. Yet despite all of this, why do I feel so empty? “This place
just can’t be it, can it?” I whispered loudly again.
“That’s
exactly what I said thirty years ago,” Nancy Wilson said. My God,
thirty years ago! Nancy is sixty-two. She’s another accountant from
our group. She turned her head and smiled at me, revealing a perfect
set of sharp fangs. “And I’m still here. God gave me the courage
to accept the things I can’t change.” She leaned and waggled a
bony finger in my face. Is that what I will look like? Of course, you
will look like that! “And now I enjoy it. I come in every day and
know what to expect. It gives me stability, and now I’m about two
years away from retirement.” She flashed me another sweet smile and
adjusted her green glasses. I saw myself in thirty-five years. I
thought I was about to faint.
“That’s
so nice, Nancy,” I said, and swallowed several times, trying to
hold back the nausea. God… Help Me Please!
“Ladies
and gents, thank you and don’t forget that next week is our
employee appreciation day luncheon,” the president announced from
the stage. “Pizza and ice cream will be served in the cafeteria.”
The end of the speech was followed by a round of enthusiastic
applause.
“Is it finally over?” I
breathed, grateful for the chance to flee out the door. “Amanda, I
have to go,” I said getting up. “Cover for me with Brandon, in
case he asks for me.” I got up and rushed towards the exit. My last
glimpse backward was of Brandon’s vigilant stare trailing after me.
About the
Author: Julia was born in Minsk,
Belarus. At the age of eleven, she immigrated with her family to the
United States. She currently lives in Chicago, IL with her husband
and their daughter, Arielle.She graduated from DePaul University in 2002 with a B.A. in Accounting and Finance. She also has an MBA from DePaul University in Entrepreneurship.
She studied Creative Writing with Jerry Cleaver at the Writer's Loft, and with Susan Breen at NYC Pitch and Shop, among many others. Additionally, Julia was one of the staff writers for the Chicago Holocaust Project, "Evidence of Holocaust: Never Forget."
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Nice blog and i'd LOVE to win a copy
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