The Oxenburg Woman - Paperback

Book 1 in the Living Heavy, Traveling Light series.

A hardened veteran of an obscure organization, reluctantly on vacation, drives into the Arizona desert foothills for a long-delayed celebration. Within the hour he's wounded and bleeding. A few miles away Suzanna Oxenburg plans an afternoon walk in the rain with her dog. A few weeks before, a million-dollar stallion vanished, the target of the perfect horse theft. Three seemingly unrelated events have converged, all earth-bound, untouched by technology, arising directly from human emotion and behavior. Thus begins a sea change in a powerful, principled man, secure in his dominion until he's flat on his back across the path of an equally uncompromising woman.

Twenty-first century life floats on a digital current, key to every aspect of our lives. Years of experience in data retrieval and manipulation have given the author an appreciation for the depth of the information ocean and complexity of its connections. No digital secret is safe, no funds are untraceable, few transgressions unrecorded; all vulnerable to those with resources and motivation to unearth them. Mercenary espionage is profitable because data in knowing hands can right wrongs, reverse fortune, and undermine the powerful.

There is an equally important and universal current in our lives; the perennial ebb and flow of human interaction and connection. Passion, integrity, fearlessness, faith - recognized and reflected, they pierce us, heal us and alter our world.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Socrates believed that "an unexamined life is not worth living." His words inspire us to look inward, forgive ourselves, and strive to improve, all while maintaining a sense of wonder about how we might live. In the twenty-first century, from birth to death, every photograph and word, spoken or written, every action, discussed or undertaken, leaves a record to be uncovered and examined. Socrates would be unbothered. He was talking about self-examination and living with intention.

To be human is to yearn for a clean slate, a new start. Even the blameless sometimes feel thwarted, but in songs and stories, the concept of running from the past - to the Mosquito Coast, to vineyards in Provence - is debunked. The future, at every turn being flung into life from the heels of the past, is but barely glimpsed in the lift of light. Growth is not sparked by escape but by pursuit, not of the new but of the next. Until our last breath, tomorrow is open and forgiving. No need to run; better to proceed thoughtfully. Maturity, appreciation, and peace come from treading heavy ground with a light step, focused on today, mastering self and accepting the scars.

The series follows a man bent on a life of isolation and a woman of curiosity, vision, and agency who join forces, first by necessity, then by desire for connection, underlaid by character, and sustained by courage, trust, and partnership.