# THOUGHTS OF MARIA



## Open Books (Sep 3, 2010)

*Thoughts of Maria*​
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*ABOUT THE BOOK*

Gerry Thorley's wife Rachel has left him for another man. His son Callum, who works for a PR company by day and deals drugs at night, hardly ever visits him. Now Gerry, divorced and approaching fifty, wants a second chance at love.

On the other side of the world, on the infamous Payatas dump in Manila, nineteen-year-old Maria and her family live a life of abject poverty and desperation. Picking through the filth, they earn just enough to stay alive. There seems no chance for change, until one day a young man appears with a proposition.

As Gerry combs web site after web site searching for the perfect mail-order bride, Maria and her family come to terms with the possibility that she might marry a foreigner to escape the miserable cycle of poverty in which they live. But he must be just the right man, a kind, respectful man, and a man with the means to give her a better life.

Will Maria's future husband turn out to be an Englishman more than twice her age? Will Gerry's new wife satisfy his needs for companionship and warmth? And what might his ex-wife and son think of Gerry's new bride?

When the marriage is finally arranged and Maria returns with Gerry to England to start their life together, neither expects perfect marital bliss but both are willing to patiently cultivate a mutually satisfying relationship. But trouble is lurking just around the corner as Gerry's son Callum feeds the fires of an escalating sexual obsession with his father's new bride, and Rachel resolves to see the marriage fail, and Maria back where she belongs in the Philippines.

*ABOUT THE AUTHOR*

Gregory Heath is a British poet, short story writer and novelist. Born in a Derbyshire hamlet, Woodhouses, he is the author of the novels _The Entire Animal_ (Waywiser Press) and _Thoughts of Maria_ (Open Books).

Gregory Heath was born in Derbyshire in 1967. He is widely published in the small press; his poetry, short stories and essays having appeared in magazines such as Tears in the Fence, Iota, and Poetic Licence. Staple have published him on a number of occasions and featured him in their Alt-gen collection showcasing the best small press writers of the last decade.

Learn more about the book at http://www.open-bks.com/library/moderns/thoughts-of-maria/about-the-book.html


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Open Books,

Welcome again to the Book Bazaar and congratulations on Gregory's new book![br][br]KBoards is a Kindle fan and reader forum. As you browse KBoards, keep in mind that *self-promotion, of any sort, is ONLY allowed in the Book Bazaar*. (You've posted your book thread in the right place; this is just our standard welcome that we place in all book threads. ) [br][br]A brief recap of our rules follows: [br][br]*--Please bookmark this thread (using your browser's bookmark/favorite function) so you can update it as we ask that authors have only one thread per book and add to it when there is more information.* You may start a separate thread for each book (or you may have one thread per series of books, or one thread for all of your books, it's your choice). [br][br]--We invite you to use your book cover as your avatar and have links to your book and website in your signature. Instructions are posted here [br][br]--While you may respond to member posts to your thread at any time, *you may only bump your thread (back-to-back posts by you) once every seven days*. Once you've responded to a member, that resets the clock to zero and you must wait seven days to post, unless another member posts before then. You may modify the latest post to reflect new information. [br][br]--We ask that Amazon reviews not be repeated here as they are easy to find at your book link. Also, full reviews from other sites should not be posted here, but you may post a short blurb and a link to the full review instead. [br][br]--Although *self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar*, our most successful authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles! Please note that putting link information in the body of your posts outside the Book Bazaar constitutes self promotion; please leave your links for your profile signature that will automatically appear on each post. For information on more ways to promote here on KBoards, be sure to check out this thread: Authors: KBoards Tips & FAQ. [br][br]All this, and more, is included in our Forum Decorum: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,36.0.html. Be sure to check it from time to time for the current guidelines and rules. [br][br]Thanks for being part of KBoards! Feel free to send us a PM if you have any questions. [br][br]Betsy & Ann [br]Book Bazaar Moderators


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