It was there she got the advice to rewrite the beginning of a book she had started years before.
While in Switzerland, she saw a castle that sparked something inside her.
“ I saw that castle and it just triggered the idea for a book, so I started writing,” Penny said.
Teaching English as a second language so many years before, Penny learned to love to diagram sentences, so the writing came naturally for her. That was in 1968. After getting the advice at SouthWest Writers to rewrite the beginning, she did so and also finished up the ending. And then the book sat. For a very long time. Fast forward to 2018 when Penny moved into Westhills Village in Rapid City.
“ When I retired I was looking for a place to live and my kids told me I had to live close to one of them,” Penny said.“ Two of them live in South Dakota and I didn’ t want the Sioux Falls climate, so I moved to Rapid City.”
It was at Westhills Penny met a friend who had published a book. Penny shared her long overdue book with her and the friend encouraged her to send it off to the same publisher she had used for hers, iUniverse.
“ It all happened so fast,” Penny said.“ They accepted it right away. And the first copies arrived on my 95th birthday.” A wonderful gift indeed. The story, The Castle Connection, follows Anne Early who has left a bad marriage and, in search of some self confidence, travels to Europe for a tour. She ends up involved with three men: the tour leader, a man on the tour and a man who is stalking the tour.
“ She witnesses a murder and gets kidnapped,” Penny said.“ And the house she ends up in while kidnapped is the house we lived in when we lived in Switzerland. My kids recognized it in the book and were excited to see it there.”
Penny said while the story is not a memoir or autobiographical, and she is not the main character, she did draw on her life experiences to write Anne’ s story.
In the end, Anne has to decide between two men: the one she loves but doesn’ t trust, and the one she trusts but doesn’ t love.
“ It’ s a light romance,” Penny said,“ and there’ s maybe one or two‘ damns” in it. I don’ t swear in my life, so it’ s not something I put in my writing.”
Penny’ s friends at Westhills have been reading the books, and the librarian there purchased a copy for the library at Westhills. Penny explained that while there are a number of books in Westhills’ resident-author collection, hers is the only work of fiction; the rest are histories, memoirs and other types of nonfiction.
“ My friends have been very complimentary,” Penny said.“ But some of them can’ t read it because there is no large print edition. I’ d like to have one, but when I asked about it it was too much to publish.”
A fan of mystery writers like David Baldacci and James Patterson, Penny loves the Kindle rental service from the Rapid City Public Library. They load three books at a time on it and deliver it to her. She then has one month to read the books before loading three others onto it.
“ I’ m very plot-driven,” Penny explained.“ Some writers when they introduce a character include every detail about them, but for me it’ s more about the story.”
The Castle Connection has short chapters and compels the reader forward. Penny said it’ s a quick read.
As for what’ s next, Penny has written a children’ s book that needs illustrations. She could illustrate it herself, having taking many art classes, but instead she has given it to a couple of her children to work on illustrating.
“ I’ m also trying to flesh out a sequel to The Castle Connection, but I don’ t have any strong ideas yet,” she said.
At 95, she continues to watch her own story unfold and credits her Christian faith and the Holy Spirit to the many miracles she has seen in her life. She lives by John 3:16-“ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Penny remains very active at Westhills, attending Bible studies, a writers g-roup and spending time with her cat, Lucy. Let’ s hope her next story doesn’ t sit on the shelf for 60 years. You can find The Castle Connection at Barnes and Noble, at Amazon and through her publisher, iUniverse.
8 Down Country Roads November / December 2026