Bonny Gable
Stories shape our lives.
Our lives shape stories.
New Historical Novel
The campus is full of ghosts, they say.
But are Beatrice's demons from the
past or the present?
It's 1915 and young Beatrice Damron burns to become a professional classical pianist. She leaves behind her meager mountain home and enters Martha Washington College to study at its well-regarded music conservatory, unaware of what lies in wait for her there. Thrilled to exhibit her prowess with Beethoven and Brahms, she wows students and professors alike. Yet a menacing presence lurks that bedevils her.
Beatrice seeks solace beyond the college halls and discovers a simpler world with Jonah, the town outcast. Captivated with this new-found joy she begins to lead two separate lives. But when tragedy strikes, her two worlds collide with life-threatening consequences—and Jonah is at the center of it all. To avert further disaster, Beatrice must take dangerous risks that may cost her everything.
Praise for The Martha Odyssey
"The plot is richly detailed, satisfyingly complex, and engrossing. Gable is a first-rate storyteller, able to convincingly recreate a bygone era not just in setting and prose but in cultural norms of the time. The language in particular is true to the time period, which greatly enhances this captivating work. Gable constructs lifelike, dynamic characters—particularly Beatrice and Jonah—whose yearning to find a secure place of belonging will resonate with readers." —The BookLife Prize
"In a historical novel rich with vivid, meticulous detail . . . Bonny shows us characters that are sharp, intrepid, bold, deceitful, fun-loving and just plain wicked, all entangled in a story that races to a page-turning climax like Beatrice Damron's fingers sweeping over her piano keys."
—Ross Carter, author and playwright/composer of Madame Buttermilk
"With a base of impeccable research, Bonny Gable has evoked characters and settings so vividly the reader is transported to 1915 Abingdon, Virginia to experience the prejudices of the socioeconomic and racial divides that infected the Appalachian community."
—Rhonda Kindig, educator and author of Glossary of Grace and Windows to the Word
"The Martha Odyssey presents a daughter of the Appalachian Mountains—clear-headed, strong, resourceful, fearless—at the center of a story that entertains and intrigues."
—Mary Yolanda Trigiani, co-author of Cooking With My Sisters
A Successful Book Launch at The Martha Washington Inn
I signed books in the parlor where Beatrice meets with classmates on her first day at the college.
A display of my historical artifacts that helped inspire the story.
PUBLISHED ARTICLES
PLAYS
Lysistrata Wears Prada
First produced at Trayer Theatre in 2012
An adaptation of an Artistophanes comic play set in the contemporary high fashion world.
Mind the Gap
Three high school friends attend their fortieth reunion to discover each vastly changed, especially the former male star student who is now a beautiful woman.
To request full description or production rights
BOOKS
A Child's Book for Understanding Alzheimer's
When illness brings changes,
connections through love remain the same.
"Parents will find this kind and gentle picture book a perfect way to open a conversation with young children about a grandparent's memory loss." - Booklife, Editor's Pick
"A sweet tale of two girls growing to understand their grandmother's illness."
- Kirkus Reviews
Proceeds from this book are donated to
Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation.
Historical Fiction set at Martha Washington College in Abingdon, Virginia
The campus is full of ghosts, they say.
But are Beatrice's demons from the past or the present?
A mystery tale that weaves
local history and legend into its pages.
MY STORY
I study what makes human nature tick and find creative ways to explore it through writing. My life as a college theater professor, performer and keen observer of human behavior has fueled my love of storytelling. Sharing stories satisfies the inquisitive itch humans have to understand how we all flow within the universe.
I share stories as a fiction author, playwright, arts journalist and member of Dramatists Guild of America. My favorite place to write is the attic room of a cozy house atop a hill in a small historical town in Virginia. Two Burmese cats, Nellie Bly and Murphy Brown, graciously allow my husband & me to share it with them.
