'Meet one-eyed, opera-singing Pepek who flees war-ravaged Europe haunted by the ghost of a policeman he killed for beating a horse. He'll lead you down the cobblestone streets of Okres Krupina, take you digging for oysters, "those jelly-kisses from the sea," and treat you as an honoured guest at his wedding to Bata, 'his little Shoe', where "someone plays a balalaika and sings the Bride's Lament during the splitting of the braid." Turn the heavy brass knob, push open the door and step into Joyce Ellen Davis's enchanted world. You may never wish to leave.' Joyce Ellen Davis is a writer from Salt Lake City, Utah, where she resides with one husband, two dogs and a lovebird. She has five sons and is a grandmother of eight. Her novel Chrysalis received a $5,000 publication grant and was nominated for the American Book Award. Her first poetry collection, In Willy's House, won her a USPS Laureate Award. She has also co-authored a poetry textbook, On Extended Wings.
