When I write I go to a place in my mind and heart where time does not exist. I believe that I write about journeys in life to which all human beings can relate. I hope that my stories strike a chord of recognition.
For
eight years I was part of a writers’ group, the Fourth Street Writers,
which brought me great
support and connection with
my peers. I am also a member of the Marin Branch of the California
Writers Club.
I’ve also written several articles for an online magazine, The Gilded Serpent, under my stage name, Kalifa. They are vignettes of my years as a professional belly dancer.
I have been a painter for thirty years. My paintings hang in collections from Paris to Tahiti. One of my paintings forms the background of this page. Here it is in its original form, along with a few of my other works. Although painting is still important to me, these days I release most of my passion through writing.
Listed below are my novels:
After twenty-five years apart, Cate Hudson visits her dying ex-husband, Terry Ryan. In 1974, they had traveled the Hash Road from Istanbul to Kathmandu. We see their life together then and now. Both have changed and evolved, and Cate meets her biggest challenge in life when she decides to stay as Terry’s caregiver.
This is the story of four women, their men, their downfalls, their connections with the Mob, and their careers in the sin-filled city of Las Vegas in 1976. Wanda Moon is a well-known stripper and a full-blooded Chemehevi Indian. Sol Wolfe is part of the Vegas Mob. The obstacles they must overcome are interwoven with the lives of the other three women, as well as the frightening aspects of the men who rule Las Vegas.
Lola Raines, on the run from the Las Vegas Mob, finds herself in a small desert community in Arizona. She decides to hide out for awhile, and falls for a local cowboy. The novel paints a large canvas of the blue Arizona sky against the dark green depths of the Colorado River, the desert country, and the people and passions that inhabit that arid land.
It is the millennium, the year 2000; the city, Istanbul. Claire Bolyn’s husband leaves their hotel room for an American newspaper and never returns. The same morning, terrorists bomb the city and Claire finds herself stranded in a place where she knows no one. Her trek to the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara with a Turkish man and his family brings her face to face with the challenges of surviving each day, as well as reassessing her values and life goals.
I have based this book loosely on the life of my son Marc. It is the story of how he lived and died with AIDS. This work is still in progress.
If you'd like to see samples of my novels, I can be reached through email: Raecol@i2k.com
