From Dust to Dust and a Lifetime in Between

Growing up in a sheltered dream world in a little English town called Church Stretton, falling in love and getting married. That’s the way it should be, a future life that every little girl dreams of. A constant line, a perfect path to follow. That’s how all began, shortly before the 1920’s. But that’s not how life is, is it? Life’s not always fair, and takes turns that are not understandable. And so it was that the first plunge into the deepest dark wasn’t far off. An icy cold blizzard hit me, leaving a trail of devastation, only to move on without any explanation. Life didn’t let me go, and getting back to my feet rewarded me with the greatest gift. Rocketing up, I touched the highest mountaintops of love. But life doesn’t stand still and moments cannot be frozen. It moves on and tells its own tale. It wasn’t long before I encountered the next fall. This is my story. This is Mollie’s story. Our yesterday’s fortune doesn’t belong to us anymore and what’s to come tomorrow isn’t ours yet. It’s only the now that is ours for a short moment.

The book “From Dust to Dust and a Lifetime in Between” is a true Church Stretton life story. Mary Eileen Cooke, or Mollie as her family and friends called her, lived most of her life in the stone cottage on 18 Church Street. She experienced both World Wars, the 1st as a child seeing her father going off to war and coming home with the rank of a captain. During the 2nd World War, both her brothers served in the Royal Air Force, and she sadly lost her first husband. Fortunately enough, she fell in love again, and married William Henry Cooke (Bill) and was blessed with a beautiful daughter whom she loved more than life itself. Cancer came into Mollie’s life when she lost two of her dearly loved family members. Due to her traumatic experiences with this illness, it was an important part of the book to give cancer a “voice”. Mollie, the author’s grandmother, expressed her wish to write down her story, but sadly her dementia did not give her the time to do this herself. Her life story inspired the author, Katherine Anne Lee, to take up professional writing. The story, written from Mollie’s perspective, touches hearts, makes space to feel and puts topics like cancer and dementia in a never seen perspective. It's a time journey starting in the 1920ies and ending 96 years later.

A true story inspired Katherine Anne Lee to take up professional writing. From Dust to Dust and a Lifetime in Between is her first novel about a dramatic life story taking place in Church Stretton, England. It's a time journey starting in the 1920ies and ending 96 years later. The story touches hearts, makes space to feel and puts topics like cancer and dementia in a never seen perspective. Katherine has been working in communication for global companies with diverse cultural background for many years. Today she lives in Switzerland but lets the whole globe inspire her writing.