The thirty two year old burden of carrying an empty heart was finally lifted when Joey returned to Beal Gardens, on the campus of Michigan State University. Late one Saturday night, Joey sat in the center of the gardens admiring the protective canopy of oak and beech trees, which had grown from the puny saplings he helped plant. As he closed his eyes in the peaceful darkness, re-living the best years of his life and imagining what could have been if the only girl he had ever and could ever love hadn't abruptly ended their lives together; he was startled by a shadow in the intermittent moonlight. Joey prepared to defend himself from the intruder when he was shocked speechless as a beautiful woman with an athletic build, long reddish brown hair and a crooked smile revealed herself and began drawing his eyes deeper into hers. Mary Ann didn't understand what had lured her back to Beal Gardens until she saw Joey sitting on the concrete bench that they had shared so many years before. Neither one spoke a word. They gently took each other's hand, left where they had originally found love and disappeared into old memories. After the amazing reunion, a depressed Joey sulked on the tarmac, waiting for his flight back to loneliness when he was removed by security guards and escorted to an anxious Mary Ann who had raced to the airport to tell him that she couldn't make the same mistake twice. Late one December evening, in the middle of the worst blizzard in history, they were blessed with the impossible birth of a beautiful baby girl who grew to be one of the greatest gifts from God that the world had ever known. When the power had failed and the house dropped to sub-zero temperatures, Mary Ann decided that was the opportune time to go into labor. Fearing the worst, a panicked Joey sought shelter inside the warmth of his barn's hay room and moved his wife there on the back of his trusted donkey, Milton. Born two months premature to a carpenter/ home builder father and a school teacher mother, Jessica took her first breaths surrounded by a bevy of farm animals and two, shocked, admiring parents. While caring for his new family, a trio of stranded frat boys miraculously found their way through the cold and snow to the safety of Joey's barn where they joined in the celebration of baby Jessica's birth. Raised in a centuries-old "Little White Church", people knew that there was something special about Jessica when she confronted the influx of "new" Christians and a fanatical Reverend who sought to replace it. In search of direction, Jessica embarked on a forty day trip around the country, ending up in a deteriorating and mostly abandoned section of New York City where she was welcomed by Big Mike, the leader of a violent motorcycle gang. Knowing that was where she was supposed to be, she formed a group of loyal women followers who sought to bring hope to the surrounding community. Feeling threated by the change Jessica was causing, Big Mike ordered her death. Betrayed by one of the ladies in her group, Jessica faced her fate unafraid and returned to show the world the path to everlasting life. In Heaven, a visibly annoyed God summoned all who had worked to bring salvation to the world for a second time, to his court room where he presided over a short trial to decide if the world was worth saving, or not. After an intense deliberation, God delivered his verdict and passed sentence, changing the world forever.
About the Author: Mitch Egan Slate wrote his first book at the age of 4, one Sunday morning in Church, somewhere between the opening hymn and benediction. His mother gave him a pen to keep him quiet and occupied, so he wrote his first novel on the back of a Church bulletin. 54 years later he wrote his second book, "Dying's Not What it's Cracked Up to Be!" proceeded by "The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reservoir". Born in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, the most influential person (other than his grandmother with her three tailed strap) was his grandfather. The admiration for his grandfather can easily be felt in all of Mitch's books, sans the cussing. Since moving to northeast Florida many years ago, he now has time to put some of his thoughts down on paper as he did sitting next to his stern faced mother in Church. Contemplating whether or not he should risk tarnishing his image by showing a side of himself that no one who knows him would expect, Mitch came to the conclusion that if Shakespeare could become a success by writing about taming shrews, he surely has a chance too. Mitch worked in the Baking Industry for 20+ years. He now works in a Pet Sitting business that his wife owns. He remains content by fishing the waters of St. Augustine, Florida and raising English style Labrador Retrievers. Mitch does most of his writing when he wakes up in the middle of the night with a new thought. He believes that writing isn't something you can just merely schedule yourself to sit down behind a computer and start doing - You must wait for the inspiration to come first before you can even attempt to write anything. The idea for "Brother, Forgive Them" has been rattling around Mitch's head for many years. Some who know him worry that God may not like how Mitch wrote this story line; that God and others may be offended. It is not the intent to offend anyone. It is intended to make you look at things in a different way and consider all possibilities. Mitch is confident that he will still be allowed through the Pearly Gates without having to face Judge God. The only following Mitch has had so far are those behind him while waiting for the train to pass and the railroad crossing arms to go up. Even though it would be rewarding to have a following all across the globe and add to his bank account, that is not Mitch's purpose for writing. He is content to write books that he hopes to become satisfied and happy with.