The St. Edward’s University campus bookstore hosted its second book reading Oct. 14, welcoming Sherri Defesche, author of “Reunion on the Rainbow Bridge.” Defesche’s novel is a love story about a couple’s journey through time, reflecting on the real-life 46-year love affair between her paraplegic mother and loving father. Jim Swanson, Defesche’s father, married his wife Shirley in a hospital room ten days after a tragic automobile accident left her a paraplegic. Defesche describes their hospital wedding as the beginning of a really unique love story. She felt the urgency to record their story after her mother died in 1999. “It shook me to my core,” she said of her mother’s death. Sherri began her research into her parent’s past by contacting a past-life regression therapist who was able to reveal 20 past life incarnations. “It was like taking a magic carpet ride through history,” Defesche said. Her book explores the Eastern philosophy of reincarnation, which conflicted with her own Christian beliefs but also played into a greater understanding of compassion and spiritual connection among mankind. “By the time I wrote the book, I stopped actively practicing Catholicism,” she said. “I began reading and immersing myself in a global view of religion. The more I read about the different religions the more I realized the common thread was love.” Defesche said she wrote the book because she felt her parents had a message for humanity. “The message is that love is all there is, and the rest we just make up,” she said. The publication process was a strenuous one for Defesche. It took nearly a year and a half after her mother’s death to finish the rough manuscript. She said she started sending it out to publishers and promptly received rejection letters. It took Defesche nearly seven years to find a publisher. After losing hope on mainstream publication companies, Defesche turned to Google, and searched for new age publication companies. She stumbled across North Atlantic Books and after several brutal sessions of editing and resource documentation, the company agreed to publish her novel. Defesche attended St. Edward’s in 1999, and said it was an honor to display her work at St. Edward’s. She actually began writing the book while enrolled in Barbara Filippidis’ technical writing class. Filippidis, an English writing professor, played a supportive role to Defesche in the construction of the novel. “I shared with her [Filippidis] the desire to write this book,” Defesche said. “She was very encouraging. She read a lot of my early drafts while I was a student in her class.” Defesche also found help from Catherine Rainwater, another English Writing professor at St. Edwards. “Rainwater took an interest in me and took me under her wing,” Defesche said. “She knew all the ins and outs of the publishing industry.” When Defesche felt like giving up, she said that Rainwater would inspire her to keep writing. Among those who attended the reading was Defesche’s youngest daughter, Bella. Bella, a high school senior ,spoke of her mother’s accomplishments. “I am unbelievably proud,” Bella Defesche said. “She doesn’t do it for profit. She wants to pass along a message. It is a phenomenal story and worth the read.” Also among the audience was Celia Velez, a senior and marketing major who expressed her interest in Defesche’s book. “I bought it and started it today,” she said. “It is a great story.” Sherri Defesche’s next work is a collaboration with her two daughters about the death of her ex-husband, friend and her daughter’s father. It details a mother’s struggle to help her children deal with grief after the death of a parent. Defesche’s novel is on sale at the university bookstore. The St. Edward’s bookstore will continue to host authors throughout the year. To find more information about book signings and bookstore events, you can contact campus stores director, Melanie Foster, at 512-448-8575. [email protected]