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Inspired By My Mom
Wildwood Healer follows a big-hearted elderly woman who takes a boy and his dog under her wing, and together, they work to bring change to their struggling community. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My dear, departed mother always told us stories of how difficult a time it was and I wanted to evoke the same in this story and maybe honor her bright spirit and optimism in the face of despair. She and my dad married in 1932 when they lived in a government run migrant camp in Kansas City. They stood before a preacher in overalls and a borrowed dress and shoes, believing the only way to survive was to throw in their lot together. Also the spirit of the story Fried Green Tomatoes sort of hung in the background I think. I’ve always loved reading and hearing stories of survival during the Depression so I really wanted to write a story about it.
I found Sicily Rossi to be a very well-written and in-depth character. What was your inspiration for her and her emotional turmoil throughout the story?
Miss Sicily is inspired by my mom. I’ve never known a stronger woman. It seemed no task was too great for her. She was the best cook around but she could also roof a house, work on our car, sew our dresses- sometimes even without a pattern, keep a house, and especially stretch a dollar. Plus, she had a heart as big as Texas and helped those around us, often taking a neighbor woman to work so she wouldn’t have to walk. There was no end to the love for her fellow man. She always said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” And she found it. There were five of us kids and we never did without. So Miss Sicily was easy to create. She knew hard times and believed it was her duty to help those she could. The abused girl in the story, Martha Ann, came to love her like a mother. Sicily didn’t sit still and wait on others to do the work. Using deep convictions and grit, she dove in and created an answer for the town’s starving populace.
What was one scene in the novel that you felt captured the morals and message you were trying to deliver to readers?
The scene with the drunk Leroy comes to mind. Sicily put herself in danger, facing a loaded gun, simply because she knew in her heart it was the right thing to do. She had to protect Martha Ann from her abusive husband however she could. She’d determined she couldn’t let Leroy continue to beat his wife and made a stand. She was a true hero, someone larger than life. She believed you had to stand up when it counted and stand up to wrong. Sicily lived by the rule that if you saw something wrong, you had a moral duty to say and/or do something. We’d be a lot better off today if we still adhered to that philosophy.
What next book are you working on, and when will it be available?
I just finished a Christmas novella called “Love Comes to Christmas.” It’s based on the old carol, “Love Comes Down at Christmas” and is the story of a young woman who has faced deep tragedy and pain but is blessed with the gift of music. It’ll be available on Amazon December 4th. I also plan to release another historical fiction this coming year. An idea is percolating.
Author links: Website | Book Review
Sicily Rossi is a healer in the truest sense but wonders how one heals dark hatred. She knows the healing power of plants and taps into nature’s remedies. Changing deep-set ways requires more than simple concoctions. Nature can’t remove the rage from a vicious wife-beater, but somehow, Sicily must save the young girl from a horrible fate and/or a life of torment.
An orphan teen and dog that Sicily finds living in the woods fills her loneliness and, as she teaches him the natural healing power of plants, they fight to help the girl along with the town’s starving residents. Together, they come up with a plan to feed them all and perhaps be a catalyst for change.
Yet, will their efforts be enough to save them all from a man bent on destruction?
Wildwood Healer
Wildwood Healer by Linda Broday is a deeply touching work of historical fiction set against the rugged backdrop of East Texas during the Great Depression. At the center of the story is Sicily, an elderly woman whose heart is as expansive as the woods she lives in. Her quiet, solitary life is upended when Gypsy, a stray dog, wanders onto her porch, followed soon after by Tate, a wounded boy seeking to escape a life of hardship. With compassion and care, Sicily takes both under her wing, and together, they embark on a mission to help a woman escape her abusive husband while striving to restore peace to their fractured town.
From the very first page, Wildwood Healer exudes a haunting beauty. The lush, enveloping woods surrounding Sicily’s cabin feel almost like a character in their own right, offering a sense of solace and history that lingers throughout the story. Broday masterfully captures the atmosphere of the Depression era, infusing the setting with a melancholic tone that makes you feel as though you’re walking alongside the characters, wrapped in the same quiet sadness and resilience. Sicily, in particular, stands out—her warmth, strength, and deep connection to both nature and the people around her make her a deeply relatable and compelling protagonist. You feel her loneliness but also the quiet power that sustains her. While the setting is rich and immersive, the dialogue occasionally falters. There are moments when the conversations between characters feel stilted, lacking the natural flow and depth you might expect. These moments sometimes broke the otherwise strong connection with the story, which was disappointing given how vividly the rest of the narrative is painted. That said, as the plot progresses, the dialogue improves, regaining some of the emotional weight that matches the stunning descriptions of the landscape and the characters’ inner lives. One of the book’s strengths is its exploration of themes like healing, kindness, and the found family bonds that emerge in the most unlikely places. Sicily’s instinctive compassion and the small, meaningful ways she helps those around her serve as a warm counterbalance to the harsh realities of the time. The novel beautifully illustrates how even in the most difficult periods, human connection and empathy can transform lives. The bond between Sicily, Tate, and Gypsy is the heart of the story, showing how moments of kindness can shine through even the darkest of times.
If you’re a fan of historical fiction with strong, vivid imagery and stories that find beauty in tragedy, Wildwood Healer offers plenty to appreciate. The novel’s themes of resilience and the quiet power of human connection make it a memorable and moving read. Its melancholic yet hopeful narrative left a lasting impression, reminding us of the strength it takes to heal, even when the world seems unkind.
Pages: 260 | ASIN : B0DCG282J5
LITERARY TITAN 