 A Flemish note card, one sweet potato pie recipe and endless cups of English tea set the rules by which Sally, Graeme, Harry and Jason find themselves governed. As time grows short, Sally has to decide if love thought cold might be possible, while Harry faces his fear of the unknown. Can Graeme break through Sally's fears, and is there any hope for the Detroit Tigers? Drop the Gauntlet is a tale of love and fear, life and death. Set in North Yorkshire, England, it explores cross cultural relationships, the inexplicable natures of baseball and cricket to those uninitiated, and the timeless appeal of a cuppa.  As mysterious ailments evolve into an insidious scourge, friendship ignites into passion against the backdrop of a contagion. San Francisco nurse Marthe Souza stands on the front line while her bisexual boyfriend, author Kell Vander Kellen, records the plague’s rampage. When Kell’s sexual proclivities threaten their relationship, Marthe turns to other passions, Jesus Christ and the music of Patsy Cline, but soon she too seeks corporeal comforts. Set over a span of thirty years, the non-linear narrative involves Marthe and Kell’s families, Catholic clans long-wracked with temptation and misunderstandings. Marthe battles work as well as the personal conflict she and Kell wage, other lovers never far from their beds. After a break-up occurs, Marthe’s faith sustains her, but when Kell returns to Marthe’s realm HIV-positive, the couple faces more than his illness. In his final manuscript, Kell wishes to capture not only their history, but that of the pandemic, intolerance and fear amid steadfast devotion.  A Right Turn At Jesus - August 2011 Smashwords (ebook) Covers vocalist Rose Burnett possesses a strange gift, one not always welcome; Rose knows when loved ones are doing to die. When her aunt falls ill, Rose owns no illusions, but is far less certain of her husband Gray’s desires to add to their family. As Rose considers Gray’s request, others in their circle threaten Rose’s equilibrium, as well as an outside threat entwined with Rose’s past.  As the 2009 World Series approaches, Summer Caravella is more concerned with her three youngsters weathering their dad’s absence. The Yankees and Phillies raise a diversion for Nat, Erika, and Skye Sims but their mother uses old flame Dan Bailey to ease her memories. The Nation’s Pastime and a magical rutabaga balance hearts crushed by one man’s enduring solution. Jody Sims has been dead for all of baseball season, but Dan Bailey edges a ghostly father from most minds. But not all; one of Jody’s friends carries a torch for Jody’s ex-wife. As Summer attempts to make peace with Jody’s memory, she battles falling in love with the last man to see Jody Sims alive.  On the run for nearly half her life, Jenny Cope’s arrival in Oregon’s Willamette Valley touches all she meets. She most affects two men, one mentally challenged, the other emotionally strangled. Jenny falls in love with Alvin Harris, whose childhood tumble leaves him with few worries. Sam Cassel’s heart pounds with unrequited love for Jenny, but his lifelong friendship with Alvin precludes Sam’s advances. That and a sense of familiarity, Jenny similar to Sam’s late wife, a woman brutally murdered. Introducing the series, this novel weaves 1970s history through the lives of Alvin, Jenny, Sam, and Tommie Smith, Alvin’s best friend. Tommie carries his own injuries while balancing Sam’s hidden feelings. When Alvin and Jenny have a child, Sam steps away. Jenny learns of one of Tommie’s burdens, a tragedy Sam also endured when his wife died. But Jenny’s past emerges, shocking Sam as she seeks his comfort, not the man she truly loves.  The Thorn And The Rose - January 2012 Smashwords (ebook) As the truth of Sam Cassel’s late wife and child pummels all in Arkendale, Oregon, Jenny Cope and Alvin Harris attempt reconciliation. Sam decides to leave the state, unable to quench his unrequited love for Jenny as she and Alvin ponder marriage. When a horrific tragedy changes all lives in the Willamette Valley, wedding plans are altered, as well as Sam’s move. Jenny and Tommie suffer hardest, but no one is left untouched, each Smith and Cassel questioning if life can ever be the same. Continuing the series, this novel takes place from 1977 to the end of the decade, The Peoples Temple suicides and the murders of Harvey Milk and George Moscone entwined with Jenny’s tragic loss. As Robert Tucker heads to San Francisco, Jenny ponders the fates of other men she loves. Children sustain her, as does unexpected affection, but will it be enough to carry her from the greatest loss she has ever faced? |