Flowers on Stone by Nora Milner

About the book

There are few untold stories today. Yet, there is a story which has not been told; one about a nation that gave everything to make a miracle happen. In France, in the late 1880's, the stage is set for the elements of man and machine to come together to orchestrate another world wonder. Count Ferdinand de Lesseps has successfully completed the Suez Canal, much to the chagrin of his critics who said it could not be done. Now, he stands studying his next, and perhaps, greatest challenge. The Isthmus of Panama, a wild and untamed country far across the Atlantic, seems to him to be the best course for a canal which will not only connect the two great oceans of the world, but, in the process, modernize commercial and military shipping of every kind. It seems a natural progression for a man of such caliber to set his sights upon this next project.

But, to build it will take great contributions of money and men, talented men from the best engineering fields of his beloved France. All he has to do is find them and inspire them to follow him on the wondrous journey. Charles de Corneau is one of those men whose life has led him to the point where science and history converge. An engineer from the upper class of France, he becomes determined to join the team of his peers scheduled to venture to Panama to build the canal, for France and for de Lesseps. Along the way, he meets beautiful Monique, an intelligent and charming woman, of French and Spanish heritage, who challenges Charles in such a way that he must find the passionate lover beneath her confined demeanor. So, the stage is set for the two lovers to begin their lives against a backdrop of historical events which will carry them far from their fairytale lives in France to the wild jungles of Panama where they will face predators of every kind.

However, as history always plays her own hand, she keeps two aces for herself, weaving a series of events in France that will ultimately reach across time and distance into future de Corneau generations. Monique will meet the handsome and mysterious Jacque who will stalk her with a vengeneance. Charles will confront the reality of the Panamanian jungle with its torrential rains, diseases, landslides, snakes, spiders and even the tiny mosquito which will ultimately play a key role in bringing the Panama Canal Company to its knees and subsequent catastrophic failure that will shake France to its very core. "Flowers on Stone," then, is the story of the French idealists who left all their wealth and security to conquer the unknown. Within the pages of such losses are the immense contributions of the French: from those of her finest engineers to the everyday Frenchman who gave his money and unlimited belief of the dream to bankroll and build a new canal. What these brave pioneers must endure and conquer is told in this story. What can be learned from their experiences is that as long as there is a dream which is unfulfilled, there will be men like Charles who will risk it all to make it rise above them, the world will not make light of their contributions. Rather, it will remember them as more than flowers on stone that withered and dried in the winds. In the process, they will leave little seeds that will scatter and one day take root in some fertile soil to grow forever in their own special garden.

About the author

"Believe you can and you will!" These were the words and motivation that Nora's mother, a Panamanian national, of French nobility by heritage, instilled in Nora from an early age. Born in the U.S. territory of the Canal Zone, in Panama, Nora took her mother's advice to heart and has dedicated her life to achieving all her dreams. Coming to the United States as a young girl, she excelled as a student, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from California State University in Sacramento. Her love for adventure and travel led her to join the Navy as a Line Officer where she was assigned to the Pentagon on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations. After being exposed to the law, she left active duty to pursue that endeavor, graduating from the University of Denver Law School. She then returned to active duty in the Navy as an attorney with the Judge Advocate Corps. She is currently a well-respected attorney in private practice as a Certified Specialist in US Immigration and Nationality Law by the State Bar of California. Her law practice, with two offices in Southern California and one in Poland, occupies much of her time. However, she still finds time to ride her horses competitively in dressage, teach law as an adjunct professor, and is currently completing her thesis for a L.L. M. Degree in Space Law. She still loves to travel and has a wonderfully successful marriage and family. "Believe you can and you will," was her mother's inspiration for her to write her first novel, one whose foundation was her family's history as French pioneers who participated in the building of the Panama Canal.