Darla Ferrara

Living with the Gray Tones is a psychological thriller that investigates a single, barely remembered event that occurs in the lives of four siblings. A moment in time that alters the paths they choose and their perception of the people they should become.

Charlene Gardner spent her entire adult life running from the memory of a small Nebraska town that she used to call home. After her older brother's death, her life feels drained of color. Charlene’s recollections of her childhood become encased by the vast network of sully gray tones that make up the Nebraska landscape. Now she has returned after 25 years, searching for her past, with a need to dispel the gray shadows that surround her.

In the background of the story is an interlude between two serial killers running on the same timeline, forty years apart. Living with the Gray Tones studies the subtlety of small-town life and the complexity of family relationships. The story captures the powerful weariness and uncertainty that can set in late in life, especially when there are unsolved issues to face.

The family bonds we forge are the anchors that tie us to this earth, but they are often the hardest to understand.