Kalayla

This tale is told from three distinct points of view: a young teenager, her mother, and their landlady. Kalayla is a bi-racial girl determined to teach adults a thing or two. Her mother, Maureen, has been disowned by her Irish family and works as a waitress. Their Italian landlady, a widow, is retiring as CEO of her family's business. Their deepening friendships provide a scaffolding of support and show the transformative power of connection as they each risk new adventures with laughter and courage. Their stories touch on race, sexuality, marital abuse, exasperations of adolescence, single motherhood, and self-discovery. A Personal Disclosure I had a first-time experience that was startling and unsettling while I was writing Kalayla, the first edition of Kalaya Unraveling Tangles. The characters talked to me. I didn't realize that indicated I had entered into a covenant with them. Outspoken characters objected when I ended the book without finishing their stories. Characters who had previously been quiet asserted that I needed to include them from the beginning, not as an add-on in a potential sequel. Kalayla Unraveling Tangles is the result. The characters are now satisfied, and I am delighted.