Charlene’s soul mate, Samantha, has been killed in a car accident. Daniel’s partner, Martin, has been murdered in a robbery gone wrong. Seeking comfort, Charlene and Daniel attend a support group where they meet for the first time. Emotionally devastated and discarded by their loved ones’ conservative families, Charlene and Daniel feel an immediate connection. Rather than reveal their pain to a room full of strangers, they decide to see each other through their shared anguish. As a beautiful friendship emerges from grief, slivers of new hope are found.

BIO:

David-Matthew Barnes is the award-winning author of the novels Mesmerized, Accidents Never Happen, Swimming to Chicago, Ambrosia, The Jetsetters, Wonderland, and Stronger Than This. He wrote and directed the coming-of-age filmFrozen Stars, which received worldwide distribution. He is the author of over forty stage plays that have been performed in three languages in eight countries. His literary work has appeared in over one hundred publications including The Best Stage Scenes, The Best Men's Stage Monologues, The Best Women's Stage Monologues, The Comstock Review, Review Americana, and The Southeast Review. Barnes is the national winner of the Hart Crane Memorial Poetry Award. In addition, he's received the Carrie McCray Literary Award, the Slam Boston Award for Best Play, and earned double awards for poetry and playwriting in the World AIDS Day Writing Contest. Barnes earned a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina. Barnes is on the faculty of the Spalding University brief-residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing Program where he mentors students in playwriting, screenwriting, and writing for children and young adults. Barnes is the CEO of the Pinwheel Entertainment Group, a creative company formed to develop and produce new projects in film, television, publishing, and theatre. In addition, he is the host of the morning radio show People You Should Know. Barnes is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. He lives in the city of Denver.