LOCAL PRAISE FOR

SWING BRIDGE

“Swing Bridge is a beautifully lyrical, deeply moving meditation on life, love, and empathy in a small town. A Stunning collection!”

—S. A. Cosby, Bestselling Author of RAZORBLADE TEARS

“Loved it! Bronwyn hits a home run with her debut work “Swing Bridge,” a short story collection that will make you laugh, cry and think. Well done!”

—William E. Johnson, Award-winning Author of A Silent Tide and A Silent Siege

“Loosen your seatbelt, open a beer, and bounce down a dusty dirt road in the country where old school values collide with the contemporary world.”

            —Ned & Dia Lawless, Founders of Southwind Pizza          

“Swing Bridge captures life in Tidewater Virginia through unforgettable characters! From Fig Girl (my favorite) to Pocahontas and the Judys. This collection is a read that will stay with you, stories well-worth reading again and again.”

—bobbi hatton, President of the Mathews County Visitor & Information Center

“Quirky, enjoyable, relatable and relevant. Swing Bridge captures the tensions, inspirations and personalities of small town life on the Chesapeake as only someone who has lived here would know.”

—Greg & Lori Dusenberry, Proprietors of the Inn at Tabbs Creek

“This rich collection closely reflects rural communities whatever the location. Moving from one story to the next, the reader immediately identifies with the characters, whether it be the Fig-Girl or the heroic EMT staff member faced with a difficult decision. I enjoyed these stories immensely!”

—Bette Dillehay, Director of the Mathews Memorial Library

“Bronwyn’s ability to intertwine memorable characters with local landmarks and events into engaging stories is truly noteworthy!  Kudos!” 

—Jan Towne, Mathews Blueways Water Trails

“Interesting stories! I’ve lived here all my life, retired from working on a tugboat 22 years ago. The characters in Swing Bridge feel real, like I recognize them from around town.”

—Ben Richardson, Put-In Creek Carvings on Main Strert

“These stories are the perfect way to laze away an afternoon, nosing around and seeing what the neighbors are “gittin’ up to.” 

—Missy Whaley, Middlesex High School Librarian

“A time capsule for small-town America with all its comforts and thorny problems. Such a good read!”

—Christine Johnson, Director of the Mathews Outdoor Club

“These stories are an invitation to introspection, an opportunity to examine your own biases, prejudices, and values through the actions of Bronwyn’s characters and the histories she presents. The tales are wrapped in the unique culture of rural Tidewater, Virginia, with its scars and harsh truths presented in a clear, yet sympathetic light. For the come-heres who live in this borrowed landscape, the stories offer a deeper understanding of the people who have called these water and roadways home for generations, as well as enlightening us to the judgment we may be unwittingly bringing to bear. Issues of morality, property rights, personal awakening, prejudice, compassion, loyalty, ethics, the complicated bonds of family, deceit, racism, loss, bodily autonomy, and the parallel truths of history and self are examined by characters who are impressively developed in a few short pages. These stories are for reading, and re-reading, for the discovery of new truths each time.”

—Pamela Doss, Executive Director, Bay School Community Arts Center

“These delightful and unusual stories explore, invert, then discard and reinvent ideas of outsiders and insiders. If the collection were a bag of potato chips, they would be Old Bay flavored. Could you want anything more, honestly?” 

—Karen Holmberg, Volcanologist

“These stories are not only true-to-life, they call us into their crazy world with heart and soul to find what is right and loving and true.” 

—Gary Barker, Rector at Kingston Episcopal Parish

“A delightful collection! The characters are fascinating as each story unfolds, and often surprising. Locals will recognize familiar landmarks.”

—Kay van Dyke, Founder of Gloucester Arts on Main