“We had sex in the front passenger seat of his Honda Civic at midnight on my nineteenth birthday. We were in the park, about a mile from the university where we were both freshman. The back seat was filled with guitars, speaker amplifiers, and dozens of feet of cable, which is why we were in the front seat having our way with each other. We were in too much of a hurry to move everything…”

Thus begins The Book of Matthew, a coming of age novel about the awkwardness of first love, the delicateness of innocence lost, the devastating effects of family secrets, and an exploration of what happens when sex and God become uncomfortably intertwined.

Mara is an English major who wants to be a novelist. A reconciliation with her adulterous father and a failed romance with her high school boyfriend left her grappling with difficult questions of sex, faith, and love. Matthew is a rock star in the making but is pursuing a degree in finance just in case. A devastating breakup with his unfaithful Catholic girlfriend has left him emotionally scarred, unable to move forward and commit to other relationships. Follow along as Mara and Matthew meet one day in a dilapidated building on campus. Watch as they fall headlong into a tumultuous affair. Hope that they are able to accept each other’s differences. And, when secrets are accidentally revealed, pray that they both make peace with the ghosts of their pasts.

The Book of Matthew is the first book in a proposed five-novel series. The completed manuscript is approx. 70,000 words. Read an excerpt.

This writer is looking for an agent.

Bachelor's degree in English from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. I am the marketing director for a construction contractor, responsible for all advertising, corporate communications, and sales and marketing inititives. I also dabble as a travel writer; my articles have appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, International Living, and on BootsnAll.com and JustSayGo.com.

--The Book of Matthew (complete)