A young woman longing for a child stumbles upon a Christmas miracle.

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Investigative journalist Scottie Darden is photographing the homeless for her Lost Souls series when she makes a discovery that could change her life forever. Under a makeshift tent in subzero temperatures in a downtown city park, she finds a woman’s dead body with her infant child. Without her cell phone to call for help, Scottie makes the split-second decision to take the baby home. Her initial instinct is to provide the baby with food and shelter until her family can be located. But as her fondness for the baby grows, she finds herself facing a life on the run or worse—prison time for abduction. Curl up with Merry Mary this holiday season. A heartwarming story of the powerful connection between a caring soul and an innocent child in need.

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Monroe Park, Richmond Virginia

I recently spent the afternoon at Monroe Park in Richmond, Virginia, the setting for my opening scene in Merry Mary. My protagonist, investigative journalist Scottie Darden spends her spare time bringing food and supplies to the homeless people who live in Monroe Park. In exchange for her generosity, these five unusual friends permit her to take pictures of them for her Lost Souls series. I encountered a number of homeless people on my outing, normal people down on their luck. The experience reminded me of how easy things can go wrong in our lives.

I thought I’d share some of those images with you. While definitely not a snowy day, I hope the photographs will create a vision of the setting in your mind when you read the first chapter of Merry Mary.