By By JAMES COLLINS / Edwardsburg Argus
NILES - In the midst of one of the most difficult times in her life, author Karen Marsh found comfort in creating a fictional world, which eventually turned into her first published book titled, "Down Home."
The 56-year-old woman, who was born and raised in Edwardsburg and Niles, used writing as an escape from a stressful period of her life that involved working full time and taking care of her injured husband.
A few years ago, her husband, Lynn, was immobilized with a serious back injury that resulted from a car accident.
After a long day of work as a doctor's office assistant, Karen would return home only to be faced with the tasks of caring for her husband and a variety of other household duties.
While going through this difficult time, a reoccurring picture in her mind led to the beginning of "Down Home." For three consecutive mornings, Marsh awoke with the same clear image in her head - a girl sitting on top of a boulder overlooking Lake Michigan.
She decided to sit down and write out a description of this mental picture, so that she could remember it. The description soon turned into a story about the girl sitting on the boulder. Thus the idea for her book was born.
The girl on the rock became a character named Susanne Barnes-Jacobs and Marsh began to weave a complicated tale around her involving themes like family, relationships and following your dreams. The book is set in the Michiana area.
Despite her hectic days, writing about these characters and their struggles became an activity that Marsh could always look forward to.
She finished the book in eight months and began shopping around to different publishers. The whole process took a few years, but she finally landed a deal with the Maryland-based PublishAmerica.
It is currently available on the following websites: amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and at publishamerica.com/books/5831.
The book will officially be available on Oct. 4 and Marsh would like to see it in stock at local book stores.
Her husband has since had surgery and is fully recovered from his back injury. The couple has three grown children.
Marsh now works as the church secretary at Trinity United Methodist Church of Brandywine and continues to write on the side.
She is currently working on a sequel to her first book titled "Summer's Hand."