Additional information
by Lois Larrance Requist (Author)
About Where Lilacs Bloom Can American citizens be arrested, and indefinitely detained in America without due process of law? This story, Where Lilacs Bloom was published in 2000, before 9/11 and subsequent actions by the US Government. The book predicted people would be detained and held without due process. In this intriguing drama, religious extremists abandon the GOP and form the GOD party. They bring pressure on the GOP administration to stifle free speech. This is the story of one woman who is held, and not allowed contact with anyone. She exists in a no-man's land, outside of the legal system. Eventually, repression of speech causes a reaction. Protesters, afraid of their government, hold signs containing just one word. They say nothing. Could such a protest make any difference? These questions come to mind reading, Where Lilacs Bloom. The woman, a writer, Amy Flintridge, is incarcerated. Her family has no idea where she is and the press ignores the story, partly because of some governmental nudging. What could lilacs have to do with a presidential election? In a presidential election year, the confrontation between repression and expression comes to a head. In prison, Amy Flintridge gets a message to her family which serves as the catalyst for protests where lilacs are always present. How she survives this isolation, and how her family develops a protest movement that eventually impacts the presidential election, and brings about her freedom is the story. It's one of import now. In 2017. From Kirkus Review: ...."in Amy's stream-of-consciousness musings, the author is able to let loose and deftly escape the confines of conventional prose....Requist's provocative premise is intriguing, her lucid theme of fighting censorship is noble, and her astute observations about modern politics are prescient..."
Author Biography
I studied in the creative writing program at San Francisco State University, where I received an BA & MA in the 80s. Since then, I've had numerous publications, including two books: "Where Lilacs Bloom" (first edition) and "RVing Solo Across America Without a Cat, Dog, Man, or Gun." Publications of poetry, newspaper articles, fiction and nonfiction include weekly columns-Caffeine Chronicles at BeniciaPatch.com, and Personally Speaking for the Contra Costa Sun. Other places include Alaska Quarterly, Amelia, San Francisco Chronicle, Contra Costa Times, Futurific Magazine, Monterey Life, Oakland Tribune, Benicia Herald, Oh! Idaho, Old West, Rocking Chair Reader-Coming Home, Sacramento Magazine, Survivors Review, ehow.com, and Trillum Literary Journal. Active for many years in the League of Women Voters, I served as President of the Diablo Valley and Benicia Leagues, and on the board of the California LWV. I was Executive Director of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, in Lafayette, California. In Benicia, I cofounded Carquinez Village, which connects, supports, and inspires seniors in this area. I'm also active in Benicia Literary Arts. On the personal side, I love travel and have moved about the world extensively besides the RV trip which led to the book mentioned above. And, I very much enjoy the small community of Benicia, California where I live and prosper! A waterfront community, I've been the Poet Laureate here and continue to be active in the writing community. Walking all over town helps me stay fit and healthy. I can walk to the gym, the post office, library, Starbucks, The Rellik, First Street Café, and anything that is downtown. So, I walk past my car often. I have a network of friends and family that support and challenge me: they don't all agree with my opinions! No kidding! Once in a while, I'm wrong. Though I've lived most of my adult life in California, I've written a good deal about Idaho, and I return there regularly to see family and friends. Benicia has alleys and that may be part of the reason it connects me in some way to Nampa, Idaho, where I grew up. A small town feel. So, I've always been an avid reader, interested in politics, and trying to understand the universe I live in. I still have lots of work to do, in that regard. I'm very grateful for my friends and family and all the good things in my life.
