And Then, There's Lily

Set in a dystopian New America, "And Then, There's Lily" is an action packed mystery pitting Evolution against Creationism by way of the most unexpected living presence. This dialogue-driven novel is voiced by fraternal twins, Bethani and Simon Blake, who grapple with their past and the deep secrets of their abusive childhood. Abandoned as adolescents by their parents , Simon raises himself while living as a vagrant in New York City's Central Park with no recollection of his life prior to the age of twelve. Years later, though still a "park-rat," by pure kismet he finds the love of his life, Tina, a highly successful financial-software engineer. Repulsed by the dog-eat-dog world of Wall Street, Tina is drawn to the laid back Simon. Hoping to move their relationship forward, she leaves him her backpack on a park bench. It contains a note offering him a life defining choice of either joining her at Port Authority Bus Terminal for a trip to anywhere but here, or keeping a computer program of her creation on two floppy discs. Instructed by a mutual friend to go to Tina's favorite park bench, Simon arrives late and finds her backpack with the note attached. Distracted by a nearly full bottle of gin beneath the bench, he drinks it all thus making his choice. Awakening hours later, Simon is left with the discs, the backpack with its ever-present essence of patchouli and a throbbing head. With remorse as his reward, he slings the backpack and its contents over his shoulder and drifts away. With Simon left heartbroken, alone and penniless, his park-friend sees potential value in the program. Simon copyrights the discs contents and evolves into one of New America's most powerful tycoons. As for his twin sister: Upon their abandonment by their parents, while Simon ran screaming to the safety of the park, Bethani was rescued and later adopted by their Hell's Kitchen downstairs neighbor, a storefront mystic named Brenda. Through wits, wisdom and an innate work ethic, Bethani becomes an accomplished airline pilot. Following a series of life-shattering events, she descends to living as a drug addicted failure solely dependent on the charity of her wealthy brother. And then, there's Lily: The mysterious "other" in their lives. Though Lily never speaks a word, she becomes the pivotal threat to the continuation of the Faith-Based New American Regime. Why does the future of a country's imposed belief system rest in the hands of the most unlikely of beings? Why was Lily kept incommunicado in a private suite at the Chandler Clinic for the first 20 years of her life. Why is she considered to be a miracle by some yet an abomination by others? How is Lily an existential threat to the most powerful and influential rulers of New America and to the very notion of Creationism? Buy it! Read it! Above all, enjoy it and tell your friends!