Contemporary Fiction
Date Published: January 15, 2026
Publisher: Windy Ridge Publishing
Her daughters—Kay, a celebrated mezzo-soprano, and Anna, a self-doubting composer—must confront the emotional fallout of their mother’s long-buried lies. Alongside them are a young, truth-seeking journalist, a lawyer, and a priest, all carrying the weight of secrets they are professionally and morally bound to keep.
Set in the haunting beauty of Minnesota’s river bluffs and Lake Superior’s North Shore, this is a story of legacy and redemption—of truth breaking through the cracks of deception and healing in the wake of generations of silence.
What is the hardest part of writing
your books?
Creating a different
voice and speech pattern for each character is among the most challenging parts.
I’m always searching for the voice and pattern that best matches the
character’s personality.
What are your most played songs?
I most enjoy
choral and symphony concerts, live. My favorite contemporary choral composer is
John Rutter and my favorite symphony composer is Beethoven.
Do you have critique partners or beta readers?
Yes, I did
use beta readers for the early drafts of my novel. An example of a most helpful
review happened when a beta reader reviewed a chapter that included a dramatic
scene in a church with an untended corpse. The beta reader, whose father was an
undertaker and mother a pastor, told me in no uncertain terms that the scenario
would NEVER happen. I changed it and the scene became much more realistic and
dramatic.
What book are you reading now?
I have
started the research on the third book in the Legacy Trilogy. I’m
reading Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice by J. F. Martel. One
of the threads of the novel, which does not yet have a working title, will
explore the relationship of Artificial Intelligence and Art. We know that AI
can create images and organized sounds, but is it really art and music?
How did you start your writing career?
About 25
years ago I began by writing short vignettes at a cabin we owned in northern
Minnesota. Those writings revolved around vacation scenes and nature. I also
wrote short memoir types of stories. I became serious about the craft of
writing about 10 years ago, as I neared retirement.
Tell us about your next release.
Publication
of the second novel in the Legacy Trilogy, When Words Fail, is expected
toward the end of 2026. It is the story of a young woman, an adoptee, with the
mistaken belief that finding out who her birthfather is will complete her
identity. She believes that finding him will eliminate the fear that is holding
her back from a full and complete life.
About the Author
Ron Elcombe is a professor emeritus at Winona State University (MN), where he taught various advertising and mass communication courses for 25 years. His eclectic career encompasses teaching instrumental music, as well as sales and marketing roles for multiple companies. He has been published in the Lake Country Journal and several professional academic journals and has attended seminars on fiction writing at the Iowa Summer Writers Festival. "The Legacy of a Lie" is the first book in a three-novel series. He resides in Rochester, Minnesota, with his wife, Sharon, and enjoys summers on the golf course and at the family cabin in northern Minnesota.
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