Well, Bob Kerrey made it official today. He said ‘no’ to running for the U.S. Senate seat that will be up for grabs in November’s general election.

I’m disappointed.

I first met Kerrey 30 years ago when he was in Hastings on a campaign visit. I worked in a bar and one of the owners, who donated money to the Nebraska Dems, brought him there for drinks prior to a meeting.

The owner came up to me and pointed at Kerrey, saying ‘See that gentleman? One day, he’ll be president.’

At that point, I didn’t know who Kerrey was, but I made a point to find out.

I followed his career as Governor and then as the Nebraska Senator. I campaigned for him when he started his bid for the 1992 presidency. Even though he dropped out of the race, I still followed his career. No, it wasn’t a stalker kind of thing.

He’s just one of the most intriguing people I’ve met.

Had he returned to Nebraska and entered this year’s Senate race, it may have been a struggle, especially entering the fray this late in the political sniping season. It would have, however, made for an interesting campaign . And it’s possible his former political backers would have rallied and helped the perceived underdog secure his place in D.C.

And, I also believe he had members of the Republican party scared. Attack ads were already airing on radio and TV.

I wish he would have said ‘yes’.

When I picked up Sere Prince Halverson’s The Underside of Joy, I immediately felt connected with Ella, the MC whose world is about to be turned upside down. See, things aren’t perfect in her marriage, yet, this smart woman ignores some of the telltale signs of trouble signaling her world is about to unravel.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow…”

But what happens when tomorrow never comes for one of the parties in that discussion? Ella’s husband, Joe, dies in a freak accident, leaving her to raise her two stepchildren. Who shows up at the funeral? Paige, Joe’s ex-wife, who abandoned her family a few short years earlier. Paige insinuates herself back into her children’s lives, threatening to take custody of Annie and Zach, leaving Ella with an empty nest and heart.

As Ella discovers a mountain of debt and a handful of half-truths, she questions her marriage and the motives of the man she loved. Can she save the family business? Will she lose the children she loves as her own? Will Ella forgive her husband?

As I began reading, I could not believe many of the parallels between the book and my life. I, too, lost my husband when he died of complications from a stroke. We, too, had a floundering business. We amassed nearly $250,000 in business and personal debt. And we were a blended family, each bringing three children to the marriage. His kids lived with his ex-wife; mine, with us.

I understand what it’s like to be a mother and a stepmother, trying to find balance between being the parent figure and the other mother. It’s a fine line, a tightrope that stretches until you teeter off, maybe never finding your way back.

While I appreciate Halverson’s resolution, I’m not sure real life works that way. Sure, in my life, the animosity from the insecure ex was present, but she never would have admitted her failings, nor would she have let me raise her – and his - children.

I’m not sure I would have wanted to.

Beautifully written, with fantastic descriptions of setting. Imagine looking at a photograph and stepping into it. You can, when reading this.

Want to join in the discussion? Visit BlogHer Book Club!

I received a copy of this book, as well as payment, for participating in this review as part of BHBC.

Today, over at The Muffin, I talk about Twitter chats and hashtags, and if participating in a Twitter chat can help your writing career. Yes! And, it wouldn’t hurt if you’d start your own Twitter chat! C’mon by and check it out.

When Project Gutenburg debuted 4o years ago, today’s use of digital publishing never could have been predicted. I talk with a screenwriter, a fiction author, a YA and YA non-fiction author, a publisher and an emerging technologies librarian about specifics in their fields and the direction they see digital publishing headed. Read the 20 Questions segment in Issue 46 of WOW! Women on Writing.

This week