The Imperfection of Swans (40 page)
A FEW
years ago, I took a photo of my best friend, the one you see on the cover. Every so often, I’d stare at it as it screamed at me to write a story for it to safely enclose. I know I did an imperfect job, and I know an eating disorder is very different for every single person. However, I hope the more we address it, the more men and women will feel safe to tell their stories and step into the light so they don’t have to struggle alone.
Kevin—I love you! Thank you for being my bestie. And thank you for being willing to share personal aspects of yourself so that I could turn them into fiction. Thank you for sharing what the struggle is like for you, allowing me to use your dream of owning a wedding dress shop, and giving me a glimpse of what it was like growing up in a large Italian family. You and your mom make the best gravy around. (And Kev’s mom, if you ever read this, you’re a second mom to me. I love you! Oh, and I love you too, second dad!)
Elizabeth—Thank you for your initial faith in me. And, now, thank you for making it possible for me to attempt a full-time writing career. I will never be able to adequately repay your kindness.
Desi—Thank you for keeping me from appearing illiterate. With each book that passes, I grow ever more thankful for an editor that I trust implicitly. I look back at those self-published books before you came into my life. It’s the stuff nightmares are made of.
Becky—Thank you for being willing to beta, your encouraging nature, and for inspiring the prologue!
Noelle—Thank you for lending me your name and your personality to be one of Kevin’s moms. I wish everyone in the world had a mother like you. I am blessed to call you friend.
Cate—Thank you for taking two days and letting me see inside the world of wedding dresses and all the things I never would have considered.
Trenton—Thank you for helping me on the banking and loan information. I’m glad my little brother is so good with money. I wish some of that would rub off on me. I love you!
Stephen—I love you! Look at us, leaping and living!
Boston—Oh, how I fell in love with you. Everyone needs to take a swan boat ride and eat at Tatte Bakery, The Bucher Shop, and Giacomo’s.
Readers—Thank you for continuing to take a risk and read a Brandon Witt book. I can never say thank you enough! So much love to you!
Paul—Thank you for turning my bf’s picture into an actual cover. It’s perfect. And the chapter headings you came up with would make Kevin and Casper so very pleased.
The death of his wife four years earlier left Travis Bennett a shell of the man he used to be. With his dog by his side, Travis raises his three children, manages his business, and works as a ranch hand. But every day, every minute, is an aching emptiness.
Wesley Ryan has fond memories of the small Ozark town of El Dorado Springs. Seeing it as a safe place to put his failed relationships behind him, Wesley moves into his grandparents’ old home and takes over the local veterinary clinic. An early morning visit from Travis and his dog stirs feelings that Wesley seeks to push away—the last thing he needs is to fall for a man with baggage and three kids as part of the package.
Life, it seems, has other plans.
“…wonderfully written, very real and down to earth”
—The Bookpushers
“I love that it’s message is about hope as much as about the power of love, and the story and its characters will stay with me for a long time.”
—Rainbow Book Reviews
“This book is one to savor… a very well done story, and it put Brandon Witt high up on my radar.”
—My Fiction Nook
“This story felt very real to me because each character was fallible and lovable.”
—Love Bytes
“
Then The Stars Fall
is so much more than just a simple novel of love and healing. With realistic characters and poignant moments that will threaten to tear your heart out, this novel is nothing short of brilliant.”
—The Novel Approach
BRANDON WITT
’s outlook on life is greatly impacted by his first eighteen years of growing up gay in a small town in the Ozarks, as well as fifteen years as a counselor and special education teacher for students with severe emotional disabilities. Add to that his obsession with corgis and mermaids, then factor in an unhealthy love affair with cheeseburgers, and you realize that with all those issues, he’s got plenty to write about…
Website: www.brandonwitt.com
Author Facebook page: www.facebook.com/brandon.witt.author
Twitter: @wittauthor
Christmas Miracles of a Recently Fallen Spruce
Grand Adventures (Dreamspinner Anthology)
The Imperfection of Swans
The Shattered Door (Audiobook)
Then the Stars Fall
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Imperfection of Swans
© 2016 Brandon Witt.
Cover Photo
© 2016 Brandon Witt.
Cover Model
© 2016 Kevin Eksterowicz.
Cover Design
© 2016 Paul Richmond.
http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com
Author Photo
© 2016 David Schmidt.
http://bloomportraits.net/blog/
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63476-816-0
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63476-817-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015914746
Published January 2016
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
Author's Notes and Acknowledgments