When Zeph Met Kess – A Short Novel

Current events just keep inspiring stories. This one is about former teacher Zeph Grafton, who has no intention of giving in to the manipulation of others, not from those who attempt to bully him, and not from those who profess to love him. When he meets guarded mail carrier Kess, manipulated in her own right by a stalker in a white van, the attraction between them is undeniable, mutual, and hard for either to ignore in spite of their complicated circumstances. Each feels something about the other they cannot put words to, but fate has more in store for them than a few quick passionate encounters. There’s a bigger, older picture taking shape on their canvas, made up of past misdeeds, noisy misconceptions and a lot of assumptions in need of correction. Luckily for them, Zeph’s joke-telling father Ike, a casino blackjack dealer, and his friend Buck Justice, a six-foot-seven culinary artist, are in their corner and doing their best to help put all the barking dogs to bed.