A Farewell to Three Wives

The Marriages of Rick Stevens

Dear Book Browser: Thanks for stopping to look at this book. With millions of books in the market place, what chance does mine have to survive? That is what I, the author, am concerned about. I have just given birth, so to speak, to a new baby, the novel that has absorbed my interest and been my work for several years. I know that I have tremendous competition, not only with contemporary authors but also with authors of the classics, going back hundreds of years. Yet, I feel that I need to add my experiences to these mountains of fiction. I feel as though I have done so by introducing the fictitious Rick Stevens to my readers. Rick Stevens is the main protagonist, not the hero, in my novels. Like many Midwestern American men born in the first half of the 20th century, he and they have much in common. As you have guessed, I visualize myself as the fictitious Rick Sevens; we are similar but not identical in all aspects. Most of my life, I have kept a diary or journal. Also, I have written and received many letters which I have arranged, in chronological order, in three-ring notebooks. Besides my memories, these records have provided me with raw material and realistic detail for my novels. In this novel, I have described Ricks courtships, three marriages, his two sons and family life, including his failures and his successes. Since my retirement, after 35 years from my work as a high school science teacher (physics, earth science, chemistry, biology), I have kept myself busy with my writing. This is my eighth book. I hope you find it interesting and worth reading. If you have read two of my previous novelsI WAS HERE: The Young Manhood and Education of Rick Stevens and To Become a Rich Americanyou will realize this novelA Farewell to Three Wivesbecomes the third volume in the Trilogy. Stanley B. Graham