The Cup of Life Paperback

Two futures. One woman. And one dirty secret.

A coming-of-age novel set in rural North Dakota in the 1980s, readers find Simon Anderson to be delightful and relatable.

"Gut wrenching, yet heart warming" -SF, Amazon Customer

1984 Simon Anderson is falling in love. After finally working up the courage to tell Nora Toogoody how he feels, Simon finds himself emersed in a passion that feels heaven-sent. His black and white world erupts in a kaleidoscope of colors. But when Nora’s family moves away and his brother’s fiancé shows up at Simon's door with less than sisterly motives, he thinks he's died and gone to hell.

Here's a glimpse into Simon's world:

In the new shop, I sat down at the card table. The stereo in the corner played “The Gambler.”

Doug slammed a glass of whisky down on the table in front of me.

“What’s that for?” I asked.

“Empty mailboxes,” Doug said.

Shuffling the deck, I looked up and my gaze locked with a woman across the room. Her eyes were an uncanny silver shimmering against the feathers dangling from her ears.

“…For a taste of your whisky I'll give you some advice,” Kenny Rogers droned.

Who was she? I snuck another glance at her. She wore a powdered blue shirt clinging to every curve. Long hair swept down her back in cascade after cascade of rich dark chocolate. I wanted to plunge my hands in it.

The sway of her hips sent more currents of fire through my body. When she walked toward me cards slid and burst from my hands. Blindly I gathered them up, my hands shaking.

Before I could come up with another thought, she sat down across from me. The small space became even smaller. My gaze dropped to her lips, the color of cherry wine.

I wondered what they would feel like beneath mine. My heart hammered hard in my chest. She caught my stare, a smile playing on her luscious mouth.

“I’m not very good at cards,” she said.

My mind was wiped clean of all thought.

“Maybe you could teach me?” She giggled, and I didn’t even care. Scooting her chair around, she was sitting close enough to see the cards. “You are positively gorgeous.”

I glanced behind me, heart thundering.

“Humble too,” she said in the same sultry tone.

Was she for real?

“…know when to walk away and know when to run...”

“You from around here?” she asked.

I thumped the edge of the cards on the table.

She giggled. “You don’t talk much, do you?”

Charles plopped down, draping his arm around her. “Hey bro, how’s Bible college?”

Shocked, I stammered, “G-good.” She must be Charles’ girlfriend.

“What do you got, another year?”

“Two.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” the woman at his side asked.

Charles gave her a heavy lidded gaze. “This is my brother Simon. He’s studying to be a preacher. Simon, Melissa Sutton.”

She looked at me with a mixture of intrigue and something else I couldn’t put my finger on.

Get ready to be captivated, page after page.