Read an excerpt from Dancing in the Ring by Susan E. Sage @SusanSage @cathiedunn

 

Dancing in the Ring
By Susan E. Sage

Publication Date: June 22, 2023, Publisher: Black Rose Writing, Page Length: 350 ,Genre: Historical Fiction / Historical Romance

Detroit in the 1920s proved to be the Paris of the West for many – including Catherine McIntosh and Robert Sage. These two law school students become as passionate about each other as they are their dreams.

From a poor family in the Detroit neighborhood of Corktown, Catherine learned early on, the necessity of being resilient. She becomes one of the first women in Detroit to obtain a law degree. Bob, the ‘battling barrister,’ boxes in order to pay for law school. Despite his gruff and tough-boy personality, my great uncle Bob was a friend to all:  judges, cops, and even a couple members of the notorious Purple Gang. The couple becomes legendary in legal circles for their commitment to social justice causes – as well as notorious in the local speakeasies and dancehalls.

At first, their optimism seems boundless, as it had for so many following an era of trauma and challenges that include the 1918 flu pandemic. It isn’t long before their passionate courtship turns into a tempestuous marriage. Then the Great Depression hits and their lives are forever changed. 

Excerpt

Why was Bob telling Catherine so much when he simply wanted to find out more about her? It was like words were flying out of his mouth before he knew he was saying them. Show some control, you blathering eejit! That’s what his mother would say.

Meeting her in the library wasn’t the same as lunch. Soon they’d be parting ways and he had to say something more—not only to get her attention, but to make him stand out from the male attention, she no doubt, regularly received. She’d be gone in a few minutes. 

“Just know that one day I’m going to marry you!”

His shout caused all heads but hers to turn his way. He needed to run away. Fast. Why had he mentioned marrying her? He didn’t even know her yet, though he felt like he did. Maybe all the boxing was affecting his brain.

You can pick up your copy of this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Waterstones.

Susan Sage

Susan Sage has published three novels: Insominy (2015), A Mentor and Her Muse (2017), and Dancing in the Ring (2023). Her writing has appeared in various literary magazines and journals. She received her English degree from Wayne State University where she was a recipient of the Tompkins Award in creative writing. 

Although a Detroit native, she has resided most of her adult life in Flushing, Michigan with her husband and two cats.  

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