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Authors Present Romantic Ride

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By CHERYL KUCK Tribune Correspondent

Published: September 5, 2007

SUN CITY CENTER - One would think that a master gardener who also is an author would write about nature. But Sun City Center's Diane Alvarez's new tome is all about love.

In 'Love Poems in Spanish and English: A Celebration of Marriage,' she and her husband of 25 years, Richard, remember the road they traveled across cultural barriers and continents.

That road, which began with their vows in Quito, Ecuador, has not been easy.

As a young woman teaching in Bradenton, Diane Alvarez had a heart for spreading God's word. She acted on her heart's calling by becoming a Wycliffe Bible translator in South America in 1978.

Leaving her job at Ballard Elementary School and using what money she had, she bought a one-way ticket to take on a nonpaying job helping others.

'I know people thought I was crazy,' she said.

'This is really a supernaturally inspired book about my marriage across cultural boundaries from Chile to Florida,' she said. 'I certainly never expected to have all these life experiences. Who would have thought I'd meet a Chilean exile living in Ecuador on the equator?

'My husband, Richard, and I have overcome many obstacles in 25 years. We wrote this book because too many people regret taking the easy way out divorce. Maybe if they read this, they will understand that commitment will carry you through adversity.'

The book takes a reader on a practical as well as a romantic ride, with a soliloquy of excerpts from the Bible and the Song of Solomon to Rod McKuen's poetry.

Subjects range from Stubborn as a Mule and Not Always Bliss to Aging Gracefully.

Alvarez is one of the original SouthShore Friends of the Library board members and is in the process of writing two nature books, 'Nature Writers' and 'The Responsible Florida Yard.' Books can be purchased at www.beautyberrybooks .com or www.amazon.com, and are also available at Southern Grace Home Accessories & Gifts, 301 U.S. 41, Ruskin.

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