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Local author debuts with self-published book
By Megan Bruce

“The God of Sno Cone Blue” is a story within a story, and the debut novel of Portland native Marcia Coffey Turnquist. Marcia was a broadcast journalist on KPTV before going off-air to raise 2 children. The Turnquist family has lived in Cedar Mill for the past 18 years.

In the novel Mercy “Grace” Carsten begins her tale as an 8 year old preacher’s kid new to Portland in the mid-sixties.Grace is in the midst of a happy childhood when her vibrant young mother, Sharon, is struck with Hodgkin’s disease, and dies.

A week after her passing, something amazing arrives for Grace from her mother: she had spent her remaining time and strength on a series of letters about her life before she became a preacher’s wife. They give Grace the opportunity to know Sharon as the person she was before she became a mother, and their revelations lead our young narrator to discover herself.

Turnquist’s inspiration for the story sprang from her hopes, fears, and love for her own children. I think it would make a good read for mature young adult readers and parents alike, though the romantic tones will probably appeal more to females.

This novel is self-published and available in paperback and e-book at marciacoffeyturnquist.com, where you can also find the author’s blog, where she also discusses her experience with self-publishing.

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