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What is the favorite book you remember as a child?
The Madeline books.
Tell us about your current book in 10 words.
A romance between wounded souls who help each other heal.
What are you reading right now?
A book about the artist Wanda Gag.
Do you have any bad book habits?
I buy far too many books. I have stacks and stacks of books waiting to be read.
One book at a time or multiples?
One at a time. I like to get fully immersed.
When do you do most of your reading?
In the summer.
Favorite place to read?
The beach.
Favorite genre?
Romance and women’s fiction.
Do you loan your books?
Yes, although I’ve had some that were never returned.
Keep books or give them away?
I keep books, but I give away extra copies of my own books. Sometimes as gifts to long-time readers, or I raffle them on social media, or I donate them to prison book programs or charities like Operation Paperback which gives books to military personnel and their families.
Tess Lee is a world-famous novelist. Her inspirational books explore people’s innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel—but despite her extraordinary success, she’s been unable to find personal happiness. Jack Miller is a federal agent working in counterterrorism. After spending decades immersed in a violent world, a residue remains. He’s dedicated everything to his job, leaving nothing for himself.
The night Tess and Jack meet, their connection is palpable. She examines the scars on his body and says, “I’ve never seen anyone whose outsides match my insides.” The two embark on an epic love story, but old traumas soon rise to the surface as Jack struggles with the death of a loved one and Tess is forced to confront her childhood abuse. Can unconditional love help heal their invisible wounds? Together, will they be able to move from darkness to light?
“Hello, Butterfly,” Omar said, kissing the top of her head.
“These are for you,” Clay added, handing her a large bouquet of pink flowers.
“They’re beautiful, thank you. This is Jack,” she said, touching his chest. “And this is Omar and his better half, Clay.”
Omar shot her the side-eye.
“Nice to meet you,” they all said, shaking hands.
“Let me take your jackets. Brunch is in the living room, please go sit,” Tess said.
Jack sat on the couch, and Omar and Clay took the chairs. “What can I get everyone to drink?” Tess asked.
“Well, it’s brunch, Butterfly. There bloody well had better be cocktails,” Omar joked.
“Of course. What would you like? A mimosa?”
Omar nodded.
“Make it two, please,” Clay said.
“When in Rome,” Jack added.
Tess went to retrieve the drinks while the men chatted.
“Tess has told me a lot about you guys,” Jack said.
“Likewise,” Omar replied. “In the twenty years I’ve known her, she’s hardly shown any interest in the many would-be suitors who have tried to catch her eye. Now I’m getting a dozen texts a day about you. I must say, I was dying to meet you.”
Jack blushed. “Tess is quite a woman.” He glanced over to the kitchen. “I’m still waiting to wake up from this dream, because she’s perfect.”
“Oh, well I’d be happy to tell you about her many flaws. Let the nightmare begin,” Omar jested.
“I heard that,” Tess called, carrying four champagne flutes on a tray, three with mimosas and one sparkling water, which she placed on the coffee table.
“I’m impressed, Butterfly. If this writing thing doesn’t work out, maybe we can get you a job at a saloon.”
“I do love a good peasant skirt,” she said, knuckling the top of his head and tussling his hair.
“Now I’m going to have bad hair all day,” he complained.
“Serves you right,” she said, plopping down beside Jack.
“We were just getting ready to tell Jack about your flaws,” Omar said. “Where shall we begin?”
“Clay, was I this terrible when I first met you?” Tess asked.
“No, you weren’t. You were the epitome of grace and kindness,” Clay replied.
“I’m just teasing,” Omar said, smiling at Tess. He turned his attention to Jack. “Truly, we’re so happy to meet you.”
“Tess said that you two have been friends since college, but she didn’t mention how you met,” Jack replied.
“Everyone, please take some food,” Tess interjected.
They all helped themselves to the artichoke and tomato frittata and green bean salad.
“Tess and I met on our first day of college. It was orientation day, where they put you in groups and try to force you to bond. Then there was a cookout. At the end of the compulsory festivities, a bunch of kids decided to go hang out on the football field. Tess and I both ended up there. Someone was blasting music and most of the kids were smoking pot, but since that wasn’t our scene, Tess and I wandered off together and lay down at the other end of the field, looking at the stars. We didn’t even know each other, but we just started talking and something clicked. She told me that she was writing a novel and that I was the only person she had told. And I swear to you, she was barely eighteen years old, but I knew she was serious, that she was the real deal. I remember telling her the novel was going to be extraordinary.”
Tess leaned against Jack and he rubbed her arm.
Omar continued, “And then I revealed that I was gay and that she was the only person I had ever told. In my family and culture, it’s a crime. She said that life is so unfair and it’s especially hard with family because even when they disappoint us to the core, we still long for their love and approval. Then she said I was a beautiful person and deserved to live my life fully and authentically. So strange to think about it now, how much trust we had for each other in a matter of moments.” Omar watched Tess and Jack with a soft smile on his face. “Sometimes it happens quickly, I suppose. We just know who the good souls are.”
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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shooting-Stars-Above-Celestial-Romances-ebook/dp/B0CYJ76ZXK/ref=sr_1_1
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