Rainbow Snippets: A new friend

Happy Saturday! I am SUPER EXCITED that my latest novel is finally out, released Nov. 1. You can check out the link in the sidebar. Here’s the blurb:

It’s been three years since Micah’s spouse, Cat, passed away at the age of thirty-six. In the process of cleaning his house, Micah discovers a series of letters Cat hid before he died, in which he made one request: that Micah empty his life of Cat as a way of moving on. Micah has been able to work through his sorrow, but he’s unable to fulfill Cat’s last wish. He can’t see a way past his loneliness despite all the caring people around him.

Enter two new friendships. Jude, Micah’s vivacious new coworker, brings joy back into his life. But she has a big secret about her family, and the truth will rock Micah’s understanding of who she is. Chris, the new minister at Cat’s former church, intrigues Micah. Unlike Jude, Chris is an open book, from his musings on theology to his work as a trans advocate and activist. His gentle manner and deep faith become safe space for Micah to open up about his loss.

Through them, Micah becomes involved with the town’s new community center, where he offers a creative writing class. Using Cat’s detailed letters, he fictionalizes their love story to share with his students. In doing so, he at last begins to sort through his complicated grief. Micah learns he doesn’t have to erase his life with Cat in order to make new memories. He may even be falling for Chris, despite their vastly different spiritual views. With a little help from family and friends, Micah will need to open his heart to love completely again.

Keeping the Faith is a novel about loss and grief and my deeply personal tribute to those I’ve lost. I posted about that a few days ago, and I also posted about why the novel is both an ending and a beginning.

In this snippet, Micah meets the first in a series of new friends:

The light, cheerful taps on his door startled Micah, and he looked down from the chair he was standing on. A young person stood in his doorway. They were dressed in neatly pressed trousers and a collared shirt with the top three buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up. They had very short hair gelled into spikes, wire-framed glasses, and shoes with a bit of extra shine. The person was slim but curvy in the hips and chest. They were smiling but seemed a little nervous.

Rainbow Snippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in!