Glimpse of Emerald

All his life, every woman who was important to Gary had a way of leaving, at the most inopportune time: through death, desertion - even amid deception. Through it all, the one constant was the unwavering love and faith-driven support of Edward, his beloved grandfather. But one day - all too soon - that love and support is suddenly stripped away, when the old man dies. Now all Gary has left is memories - and his granddad's rosary beads, which Edward had been clutching when he died. Plus, as the young man soon learns, a tidy fortune and a beach house on the Connecticut shore. In trying to cope with his emptiness and grief, Gary throws himself into his work. And other diversions.

When he meets Michaela, everything changes. Her spitfire assertiveness shines through her somber outer shell - put there, Gary is certain, by her own parents' recent breakup - and they forge an unusual friendship, which eventually deepens into love.

During the course of their courtship, Michaela acquires a terrible secret, which she hides from Gary, for fear of losing him. Over time, a series of revelations - each more stunning than the one before - makes Gary re-evaluate everything he was sure he knew. Everything.

Can Gary and Michaela salvage the tattered shreds of their relationship? Will her finally divulging the awful secret drive a further wedge between them - and can their faith enable them to pick up the pieces? Glimpse of Emerald is a tale of love and loss, betrayal and redemption, hope and faith.

Rita M. Reali has been in love with words for as long as she can remember. She taught herself to read at the age of four and has been stringing words together ever since.Immediately prior to moving to Tennessee in 2013, Rita spent four and a half years writing website product descriptions for globally recognized brands including Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Crayola and Hershey's. In the '80s, she worked as a radio announcer, where - as she puts it - she spent her time "in a little room, talking to people who weren't there."An award-winning author, journalist, visual artist and photographer - and a sought-after editor and proofreader - Rita has been a presenter at multiple writers' conferences. She belongs to the Association of Publishers for Special Sales, Tennessee Mountain Writers and is a certified Master Gardener (and member of the Cumberland County Master Gardeners Association). An excerpt from her novel, Glimpse of Emerald placed third in the Tennessee Mountain Writers 2016 adult fiction contest. She's currently working on three additional novels, The Unintended Hero, Second Chances and Keeping Hope Alive, along with a second draft of her memoir, Confessions of a Reluctant Goddess.Rita lives, gardens, designs jewelry, makes soap and writes on several wooded acres in Cumberland County with her husband, Frank, two cats and a lively assortment of quirky fictional characters. Glimpse of Emerald is her second novel.