She Smiled At Me, Once

"She Smiled at Me, Once" follows Enos Boone, who, now in his eighties, reflects on a life filled with quiet heroism, family loyalty, and enduring love. The story begins with Enos in a Tennessee nursing home, holding onto memories of his beloved wife, Giulia. As he recalls his youth, the narrative takes us back to 1930s Appalachia, a world marked by poverty, family honor, and the strong bonds of rural community. Enos grew up in the shadows of Prohibition and the Great Depression, with his father, James, a former Marine who fought in the Great War and returned with a fierce determination to keep his family afloat. James and his best friend, Scottie, hatch a bold plan to create a high-quality moonshine operation, striking deals with Italian-American mobsters who supply the booming northern demand for Southern whiskey. As the years pass, James and Scottie expand their empire, hiding the operation on their farm and growing their profits in gold, hidden in ammunition boxes. With the end of Prohibition in sight, they face new challenges, pushing their friendship, family ties, and luck to the limit. The story weaves together Enos's memories of hardship, war, the weight of family secrets, and his unwavering devotion to his one true love. Enos's journey captures the complexities of Southern life, where choices are often moral gray areas, and survival means knowing when to hold on and when to let go. Through Enos's eyes, we witness a story of resilience, love, and a quiet but enduring strength, inspired by a muse that smiled upon him, once.

Douglas Joe Guy Author: The LaFollette Chronicles writing as D GUY Born and raised in the Furnace Town section of LaFollette, Tennessee. 100 percent disabled vet, but proud to have served 21 years in the U.S. Navy (including a 21-month tour in-country in Vietnam) and retired as Chief Petty Officer (Radioman) in 1987. I resided in Southern Italy and Sardinia, Italy, for 20 years. After retiring again, in 2017, I commenced writing and publishing an adult fiction series of books on Amazon. My first book in the series, "The Capri Girl," was published on Amazon in June 2018. My current series (more than 30 now, and counting) is called "The LaFollette Chronicles." Most of the books are "stand-alone" adult romance novels, with the stories often set in LaFollette and Italy. Though they are stand-alone, I think they are best read in order of publication, if possible, because many characters reappear or are mentioned in other books and sometimes earn their own book. THE LAFOLLETTE CHRONICLES is also the name of my FB Author Page; there, you can find backstory information on the books and the publishing order. Typing "The LaFollette Chronicles" into the Amazon search window will bring all the books up, both in Kindle E-Book format and those available in paperback. (Foreign language editions are found on the Italian Amazon page) I speak English and Italian Facebook-- THE LAFOLLETTE CHRONICLES