Former resident has third book published
June 9, 2008
By Tammy Dunn

Montgomery County native Jeannie Reynolds Page has done it again! Page, writing under the name Jean Reynolds Page, now has three books in publication after the release last week of “The Space Between Before and After.”

Page, a 1978 graduate of West Montgomery High School, maintains close ties to the county with an aunt, Frances Thompson and several cousins still residing here. Page, along with her brother Ralph and sister Joyce grew up in the county. She is the daughter of the late Hubert Reynolds and Grace Massengill.

Eileen Goudge, author of the New York Times best selling “Woman in Red,” describes the latest release by HarperCollins Publishers as “A beautifully told tale of family, secrets, long-festering misunderstanding, and the occasionally tangled bonds of love, that takes you on a journey you won’t soon forget.”

This is the third book Page has had published, the first, “A Blessed Event” and later “Accidental Happiness.”

Page recently talked about her latest book: “I’m always concerned with the credibility of my characters, but with this novel, I had the particular challenge of writing several chapters from the point of view of a 20-year-old. People of that age have a very different experience from when I was 20. And like every generation, they have a specific language — not all of it pretty, mind you. Franklin, my son who is 21 now, helped out by reading a few of those sections and offering advice. In the end, what I hope for all of the characters is that I did them justice, made them honest in their humanity.

“When I go to readings or book clubs, people ask if any of the novels are autobiographical and I have to laugh. Anyone who knows me from Troy knows that I had, and continue to have — the least dramatic family life of anyone on the planet. Like most people, I’ve lost family members who are dear to me, and so the subject of loss factors into my books. But for the most part, I’ve been blessed with stability and love. Great for me as a human being, but difficult for me as an author. I do work with themes that resonate in my life, and the settings and the voices are drawn from what I know. But I have to either imagine the plots or borrow ideas from lives far more eventful than my own. Otherwise, I’ve got nothing to put on the page.”

In her acknowledgements Page gives credit to the usual people but also includes people from outside the publishing realm. Some, such as Lynn (McQueen) Saunders, her cousin, she thanks for the moral support, and her sister Joyce Ross, who she says has been “a selfless, loving presence in my life since the day I was born.” Page also included, as she has before, a thanks to her former West Montgomery High School journalism teacher Hilda Lee who she said had an “early vision of what my life would become.”

After her graduation from West Montgomery, Page went on to graduate from UNC-CH with a degree in journalism. She went on to work as an arts publicist in New York where she reviewed dance performances for several publications. Page, her husband Rick and their three children currently live in the Seattle area.

The book is available in Barnes and Noble and Borders and online. It is scheduled to be in Target stores by June 15.

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