Part of me aches at the thought of her being so close yet so untouchable, but her story and mine are different now. It wasn't easy for me to accept this simple truth, because there was a time when our stories were the same, but that was six years and two lifetimes ago.

I suddenly understood that even love and caring weren't always enough. They were the concrete bricks of our relationship, but unstable without the mortar of time spent together, time without the threat of imminent separation hanging over us.

Consider yourself lucky for having met him, for he's the kind of man who'll prove you right.

You feel fine, and then, when your body can't keep fighting, you don't.

In a lifetime of mistakes, you two are the greatest things that have ever happened to me.

I have a crush on your mind, I fell for your personality and your looks are just a big bonus.

I've made the decision to adhere to three general truths when it comes to my novels: There will be a love-story element to the story, the novel will be set in eastern North Carolina, and the characters will be likeable. Then, I make each novel unique through differences in voice, perspective, age and personalities of the characters, and of course, plot.