The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.
Happiness doesn't come without a price. Rosemary Young knows the Lane. It's where she grew up, raising a brother barely younger than she was. It's where she served drinks, wearing a gaudy uniform in a low-lit bar to support her mama. It's where she fell for a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Brandon Williams might've had a taste for gambling and been headed nowhere fast, but something about him made her almost forget every promise she ever made. These days when Rosie walks the Lane, it's on the orders of the man who owns it. The man who owns her—Joshua King. A bet gone wrong ties her to him, serving as the collateral Brandon didn't have. For Brandon the guilt is a white-hot brand, but Rosie can't bring herself to regret it completely. The safety of those she loves is worth the sacrifice. Now King's called Brandon back to town early and given Rosie one last job to do before they're free. Nothing—not even King—will keep Brandon from Rosie, not after three years of simply existing without her. And before it's all over, everything that had been done in darkness will come to light and nothing in their lives will ever be the same again. 67,000 words
Sophia Harriman owns a successful art gallery in the French Quarter. She's thinking how good life is while she waits for the stop light to turn green. Suddenly her world is turned upside down when a dead body smashes onto her windshield. As Sophia struggles with the identity of the victim, she's forced to confront the shady details surrounding her father's death many years before. With her tattoo-artist renter and her teenage nephew in tow, Sophia sets out to unravel the mystery of the dead man. Along the way, she uncovers an illegal scheme that threatens to bring down the government's rich and powerful, who stop at nothing to make sure she doesn't succeed. With murder nipping at her heels, Sophia runs into treacherous roadblocks at every turn. Her investigation takes her from New Orleans to the hill country of Texas to the Indian reservations of Albuquerque to the posh city of Boca Raton and finally to the halls of justice in Washington D.C. The suspense is palpable and the stakes are high. The killer is determined to win at any cost. He's adamant and resourceful. Will Sophia ever find justice for an elusive killer with friends in high places?