Author Description

When they met in the fourth grade, it was love at first sight for Mitchell Brody and Jessica Ramirez. He was the freckled-face kid who stood up for her honor when he silenced the class bully who'd been teasing her because of her accent. She was the new kid whose family moved to San Juan Island, Washington, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and who Mitch had thought was the most beautiful girl in the world. She was his salvation from a strict upbringing. He was her knight in shining armor who had always looked out for her. Through the many years of porch-swinging, cotton-candied summer nights, autumn harvest festivals, and hand-in-hand walks planning for the ideal life together, they were inseparable...until 9/11, when the real world interrupted their Rockwell-esque small town life, and Mitch had joined the Marine Corps. This is not just the story of a wounded warrior finally coming home to search for the love, and the world he abandoned twenty years before. It is also the story of a man who is seeking forgiveness and a way to ease the pain caused by every bad decision he'd ever made. It's the story of a woman who, with strength and determination, rose up from the ashes of a shattered dream; but who never gave up hope that her one true love would return to her. As she once told an old friend: "Even before we met all those years ago, we were destined to be together in this life, and we will be together again, because even today we're connected in a way that's very special, and he needs to know about it before one of us leaves this earth." "It isn't easy to edit when you're crying, let me tell you! But I'm not complaining! This was so beautiful and emotional. It really struck a deep chord in me. It's an impressive book, and I truly enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the opportunity (to have been your editor)" Bryn Donovan