Elena: a novel

Elena Shaughnessy, a forty-nine-year-old maternity nurse, never expected to be single again or engaged to Michael Marino, the man whose heart she had broken thirty years ago. Her twin dreads—marrying Michael and not marrying him—keep her awake at night. She calls off the engagement, rebuffs his attempts to reconcile, and disregards his threats to reveal her most intimate secrets, thinking he wouldn’t defy the Sicilian code of silence his parents had ingrained in him.

While coping with Michael’s bullying, her empty nest, and being forced to leave her home and garden near Pittsburgh, Elena finds herself irresistibly drawn to Patrick Jameson, a forty-seven-year-old psychiatrist who hasn’t been involved with a woman since his wife died six years ago. Patrick’s fear of betraying his late wife’s memory threatens to smother the fire he and Elena have set.

When Michael exacts his revenge, Elena is ashamed, distraught, and intent on retaliation. She discovers that her ability to thrive in life and love hinges on whether she can find the courage to heal from the emotional wound that has haunted her for decades.

“Elegantly written and full of unexpected twists, Elena brilliantly explores a woman’s
journey through the shoals of midlife to self-acceptance. It amazes me that a male
writer could so well capture the emotional shadings and essence of a woman.”
—Megan Schofield Menzen – Director of Sales, MARY KAY INC.