Child of Privilege

Dana Van Werner is riding a bus bound for nowhere.

In her pockets, she carries a bus ticket, $260, hope, her own wits, and an unbreakable will. In her memories, she carries the nightmares of frequent beatings, growing up in constant fear, physical and verbal abuse, and her father's unfathomable hatred. Dana, a 19-year-old debutante born into wealth, privilege, culture, and social standing, ponders her new world--the "real" world--for which she is laughably ill-prepared.

She doesn't know where she's going, where her next meal is coming from, or where she'll sleep tonight. She does, however, take comfort in two certainties: that the brutal beatings at the hands of her father--a powerful, dictatorial attorney--are finally over; and that her decision to run away from the mansion she once called home has probably saved her life.

This lovable, down-to-earth teenager (more "girl next door" than debutante) grows up quickly as she confronts intercity buses, seedy motels, wet t-shirt contests, jail cells, honky-tonks, and sexual predators. All the while, she is relentlessly pursued by private investigators hired by her revenge-obsessed father to bring her back under his control.

The courage, strength, and determination of this endearing heroine will draw you into the story as she searches for a new home and a new life, and finds a gentle, caring man--a bachelor deputy sheriff--who truly loves her.

However, her nightmare is far from over.

A dizzying chain of events is triggered by an accident that claims the life of someone Dana loves. Suspicions surrounding the tragedy--and her own anger--force the teenager to return home. Upon her arrival, a humiliating family secret kept carefully hidden for years is callously revealed. This sets the stage for the inevitable final showdown between father and daughter as long-simmering anger, resentment, and hunger for revenge finally erupt into a terrifying flashpoint.

This roller coaster of a novel elicits a wide range of emotions: chagrin at the wry humor of Dana's wet t-shirt contest debut; tears as he writes home to the beloved mom she left behind; anger at her father's abuse and cruelty; and shock at the unrestrained violence of the story's climax.

Join Dana on her desperate journey. Let this "Child of Privilege" touch and inspire you in her uniquely personal way. You just may discover a part of yourself in her.

Ross Ponderson is a retired IT guy from the USA. Formerly spending far too many hours writing programming gobbledygook, he is now writing actual, human-readable words in the hope that millions of people will enjoy reading them. His favorite stories to write are those chronicling ordinary people meeting extraordinary challenges with extraordinary courage, strength, and determination. He's a firm believer in happy endings, both in life and in his novels.

He has enjoyed writing since his grammar school days when essay assignments delighted him while provoking groans of pain from his classmates.

His pleasure centers include writing (of course), reading, railroading, Subway sandwiches, history, surfing (the web, not the waves!), museums of any kind, 1970’s music, wishing he had become a professional musician (much to the dismay of his weary keyboard), and strolling through the local malls. He ALWAYS brakes for book emporiums, ice cream shops, and music stores.

“Child of Privilege” is his debut novel; his second novel is currently being first-drafted. Hopefully, many more will follow.