This could be a Fantasy novel, which is ironic since Alex Burkhart doesn't believe in fantasies. He doesn't believe in fairy tales. He doesn't believe in magic or hope or wonder. In fact, Alex has endured so much isolation and shame that he doesn't believe in much of anything anymore.

Then again, this could be a Mystery novel. As Alex drives north of I-75, back to the mountains of Jasper Mill, Tennessee, he doesn't realize that he is escaping the sanctimonious shackles of his mother only to hurl himself into a boiling cauldron of murder, conspiracy, and black magic decades in the making. And those involved could be the ones he holds most dear.

This could even be a Horror novel. Because at the center of this intrigue lives a creature, a monster made of teeth and claws. It hunts in the moonlight at the bidding of a mysterious mistress who seeks revenge on those who wronged her so many years ago. And soon, just days from now, it will hunt for Alex.

Or . . . maybe this is a Love story. Alex has known love; he's almost sure of it. Love of his eccentric grandmother, Belle, and her free-spirited friends, Justine and Gracie, the women who helped raise him. And what about David Stone? Could David still be there in the mountains of Jasper Mill, waiting to love, to rekindle, to forgive? Because David is always there. Always. Like the blue of the sky.

Yes . . . this is a love story.

Because we deserve it.