A Sky for Arcadia

About the Book

One of eight finalists in the 2001 Oklahoma Center for the Book Awards, "A Sky for Arcadia" is the story of Mary Ann Brooks Conway. On a Sunday evening she tried to explain to her mother the despondency she still felt five years after the death of her daughter, Allison.  On Monday, Mary Ann attempted suicide.

As the daughter of an Episcopal minister, she was the family rebel.

In the hospital she is confronted by her sister-in-law, and must begin the first small steps to reassessing her life.  Her business is failing, she suspects her son is involved in drugs, and her patience with her family and herself is at an end.  In addition, she is visited by one of her father’s assistants.  Father Alex Hall is adept at hearing the lies behind a veil of truth.  He suggests to her that in addition to everything she knows about herself, she is also an alcoholic.

She agrees reluctantly to try treatment for alcoholism.  The rest of the book is her story of the first year in her life in which she tries to live without the crutch of addiction.  There are failures and successes, but above all, there is hope.

About the Author

A native of Oklahoma City, Ms. Taliaferro now lives in Alexandria, Virginia. For a number of years she first volunteered and then managed and consulted on political campaigns. For the past nineteen years, she has been actively engaged in commercial real estate investments. The author of two novels, two collections of short stories, and a book of poetry, Ms. Taliaferro holds a BA from Southern Methodist University in Comparative Literature and an MA in Creative Studies from the University of Central Oklahoma.