Our Dad, Mardo Williams, once told an interviewer, “Life is for
living—no matter what our age or condition. If we can sing, we should sing. If
we can write, we should write. We should always be in search of a new
experience. Always be ready to commit ourselves to a new interest.” He lived
this philosophy right up to the day of his death at age 95.

His novel, One Last Dance: It’s Never Too Late to
Fall in Love, begun at age 92 is a testament to this belief.

When he was 88, after over six decades as a journalist, he
bought a computer, learned word processing and began writing a
biography/memoir of his mother (our grandmother), whose life spanned 110 years.

Two years later, Maude (1883-1993): She Grew Up
with the Country was published. Although the memoir reflects the
challenges and changes of the 20 century as experienced by one family, as one
reviewer stated, it “puts a human face on history.” In 2001, he was awarded an
Ohioana Library Citation for this book and his 44-year career in journalism.

Next, after writing his whimsical book of children’s stories,
Great Grandpa Fussy and the Little Puckerdoodles, Dad
decided at the age of 92 to try something completely different—a novel.

The first draft of One Last Dance was a challenge as
Dad’s health began to fail and macular degeneration robbed him of his vision.
Nearing completion of the first draft, frail and ill, he asked us, his
daughters, to finish the book if he could not. We promised.

When Dad died, we didn’t know if we could honor our promise. We
pulled ourselves together and, over the course of two years, revised Dad’s
manuscript. One Last Dance was published in 2005 and
won an Independent Publishers’ Award.

Now we’re traveling with our program, Keep Dancing!
hoping to inspire others with Dad’s wonderful philosophy, Live life to its
fullest, no matter what your age or condition.

Mardo’s daughters, Kay & Jerri

For more information, please visit www.calliopepress.com.