THE BOOK: Don’t You Dare: Uncovering Lost Love.
PUBLISHED IN: May 24, 2022
THE AUTHOR: Gayla Turner
THE PUBLISHER: BookBaby.
SUMMARY: Don’t You Dare is a compelling story that weaves together a current-day journey of discovery and a true-life love story between two women that took place over a hundred years ago. Newspaper headlines and stories back then didn’t mention LGBTQ people. The LGBTQ community loved and lived in the background of society because it was too dangerous to do otherwise. All were hidden, just like the wedding photos belonging to author Gayla Turner’s grandmother – Ruby. This unforgettable book begins with the discovery of these hidden wedding photos dated June 8, 1915. As these photos unveiled an awe-inspiring secret, Gayla Turner embarked on a seven-year journey to find out more about her grandmother and the woman standing next to her dressed as the groom.
Curiosity led to extensive research that uncovered a love story between Ruby and the mystery woman in the photos. The author also uncovered a secret lesbian social club that was formed in the early 1900s by a local businesswoman. Women from as far away as Chicago traveled by train to the little farm town of Amherst, Wisconsin, to attend her exclusive parties. The local town people thought Cora held private tea and card parties so single young ladies could talk about how to find a husband. Little did they know, finding a man was not a subject of their conversations.
THE BACK STORY: When I found my grandmother’s photos, I knew they were important to me. However, it wasn’t until I started putting the pieces together that I realized how important the pictures were to our LGBTQ+ history. I talked with several talented writer friends and told them my grandmother’s story as I showed her photos. I was hoping they would offer to write the story with me, but each one of them told me the same thing, “Gayla, this is your story to tell.” But I wasn’t a writer. Writing a book was not on my list of things to do in life.
I have worked in a technical profession for the last thirty years, and the only writing I had done was for reports and procedure manuals. Because writing a book was outside of my comfort zone, I tried to forget the story. However, the story did not give up on me. After a year of waking up in the middle of the night thinking about my Grandma Ruby and the other gals in the photos, I started writing the story that only I could tell.
My experiences written about in the book are autobiographical and based on actual events. My Aunt Patty’s name in the story was changed because she was alive while I was writing. The storyline from over a hundred years ago is my interpretation of facts chronicled in archived newspapers articles. The names and captions on my grandmother’s photos are unchanged.
WHY THIS TITLE? Most of my grandmother Ruby’s photos had handwritten captions under them. One of my favorite pictures is of a woman dressed in gentlemen’s clothing and standing on a large rock in front of her. As the woman leans down to kiss Ruby, the photo is taken just before their lips meet. The caption underneath says, ‘Don’t You Dare.’ I love this picture and its message. It tells me that they knew what they were doing was dangerous, but they did it anyway.
WHY WOULD SOMEONE WANT TO READ IT? Don’t You Dare was written to entertain and educate people. Stories like my grandmother’s can help people understand that love is love and that we have every right to be here and to live full lives. In fact, we have always done so like flowers that grow up through cracks in the pavement. Just imagine what we can do when we are nurtured and given the same space and acceptance to grow like anyone else.
REVIEW COMMENTS:
“Ruby and Ella dared to love in a time when the love between two women was considered both a crime and a mental illness. In this book, Turner shows us how these two young women, one her grandmother, defied the social norms of the times and celebrated their forbidden love. This book is a heartwarming testament to the power of love and the power of prejudice to shape our paths, and ultimately our destinies. I highly recommend this book.” —Davina Kotulski, Ph. D. Psychologist and award-winning author of, It’s Never Too Late to Be Your Self.
“A book that has much truth, tenderness, as well as heartbreak, with a light-hearted touch at just the right moments. Based on a true story that steps back and forth between today and the past, this powerful, moving novel explores the questioning, awakening, and secret embracing of life and love by Ruby Peterson, a lesbian whose roots were in rural America in the early 20th century – a time when roles were set in stone, and for women such as Ruby, ‘it was a dangerous time for them all.’ Turner shares how the newly-discovered connection to her grandmother has offered enlightenment and joy to her life in the present.” —Elizabeth Massie, Stoker and Scribe-Award winning author
AUTHOR PROFILE: By day, Gayla Turner is a bank examiner, utilizing her intuition and curiosity to uncover facts and analyze complex figures. A debut author, she has honed her writing skills with private instructors, editors, and critique groups of established writers in the Los Angeles area. She is a member of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Romance Writers of America, and the Historical Novel Society. In her free time, Gayla enjoys cooking, hiking, looking at old photos, and researching LGBTQ+ history. Born and raised in Southern California, she and her partner live in San Marino, California, and share their home with their adorable dog, Bailey.
AUTHOR COMMENTS: Representation matters. Learning about LGBTQ+ history is essential for understanding who we are and our vital role in society. I want non-LGBTQ+ people to know that we didn’t just show up fifty-years ago demanding equal rights. We have always been here, and our story deserves to be told.
It is not lost on me that I have written a book that might very well join the list of books banned in certain states. That makes it all-the-more important that I tell my story and the stories of my grandmother and her brave friends who dared to live and love as their hearts led them in a rural community in the Midwest one hundred years ago.
SAMPLE EXCERPT:
See Amazon author’s page.
LOCAL OUTLETS: Vroman’s Bookstore – Pasadena California
WHERE ELSE TO BUY IT:
PRICE: $18.00 paperback, $0.99 ebook
CONTACT THE AUTHOR: Learn more at http://www.gaylaturner.com.
Snowflakes in a Blizzard 