American Family - Paperback

by Catherine Marshall-Smith (Author)

Richard and Michael, both three years sober, have just decided to celebrate their love by moving in together when Richard--driven by the desire to do the right thing for his ten-year-old-daughter, Brady, whom he has never met--impulsively calls his former father-in-law to connect with her. With that phone call, he jeopardizes the one good thing he has--his relationship with Michael--and also threatens the world of the fundamentalist Christian grandparents who love Brady and see her as payback from God for the alcohol-related death of her mother. Unable to reach an agreement, the two parties hire lawyers who have agendas far beyond the interests of the families--and Brady is initially trusted into Richard and Michael's care. But when the judge learns that the young girl was present when a questionable act took place while in their custody, she returns Brady to her grandparents. Ultimately, it's not until further tragedy strikes that both families are finally motivated to actually act in the "best interests of the child."

Author Biography

Catherine Marshall-Smith published her debut novel, American Family, in 2016. She is a founder of Café Writers Online, a weekly interactive forum for discussion led by experts on the craft of writing and publishing. She holds a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley in English literature, a teaching credential from San Jose State University, and a Writing Credential from UCLA, where she was nominated for the James Kirkwood Award for excellence in the writing of fiction. A former English teacher, she lives with her husband in the San Francisco Bay Area.