Only sixteen days!

In just over two weeks, the Anthology written by G.B. Lindsey, Libby Drew and myself, 'Secrets of Neverwood', becomes available.  And I'm starting to feel that giddy, butterflies in the stomach feeling that hits before one of my titles goes live.  But it's different this time.  Headier.  And scarier.

Heady because I honestly feel that this collaboration was a complete success.  A tale of three foster brothers, the Anthology begins with G.B.'s "One Door Closes", and middle brother Calvin. Thoughtful and careful, Cal is trying to fulfill his foster mother Audrey's wishes and restore the crumbling Victorian mansion known as Neverwood to its former glory. He also longs to return it to what Audrey wanted it to be, a home for lost boys.  But repairing the old place is costing far more than he imagined, his foster brothers are no help in that regard, and the contractor who turns up to price out the job is the high school boyfriend Cal has never gotten over.  This is G.B.'s debut novel, and I just know once people discover the unique, musical quality of her 'voice', they're going to be clamoring for more.  I've admired her writing for years, and was so honored to be included in this project with her and with the equally brilliant Libby Drew.

My offering is titled "The Growing Season", and is the story of youngest brother, Danny. He's twenty-one years old, and has always been described as 'too pretty to be a boy'.  In looks he takes after his fashion model mother but for his diminutive height, but in attitude he's defensive, secretive and mouthy as hell.  The only thing he can contribute to the restoration of the property is his gift with growing things, and so he undertakes Audrey's beloved gardens, determined to return them to the lush city landmark they've always been.  Enter a handsome landscape architect with worries of his own, and from the moment they meet there's an undercurrent of tension and attraction.  But Danny has painful secrets to protect; can he really allow anyone close?

Libby's "The Lost Year" is the final book in the anthology, and features brother Devon, the eldest of the three .  A free lance photographer who has taken photos of everything from the devastation of a Columbian earthquake to the wandering street kids of Seattle, Devon has made a name for himself in his profession of choice.  Dark and faintly brooding, Devon lets no one close, allows no one entry into his closely held privacy.  Audrey tried.  Even her special brand of motherly affection couldn't tear down his self protective walls.  Then a man comes to him for help, a man who's thirteen year old child has been missing for a year.  A man who believes he sees his sons face in Devon's expose' on the street children of Seattle.  Unable to refuse his plea, Devon agrees to help him look for his son, and risks his heart in the process. 

The three books make up the "Secrets of Neverwood" anthology.  Throw in a well meaning ghost, a mysterious treasure and a particularly evil, hovering threat to the home they all love, and I hope readers will find the brothers engaging and Neverwood a place we'd all like to call home. After all, Audrey's heart and doors were always are still open, and she always has room for one more.

Secrets of Neverwood