Anne contemplated the closing chapters of childhood in her eldest offspring. She sighed acknowledging the natural passing of time, Its the way it was meant to be. We have them for what seems like only a moment, and then we have to help them cross the threshold into adulthood. Such is the case with Sammy, Sarah, and Shelly. Just when Samuel and Anne Bellamy think their new life on the old estate has fallen into place, Samuel makes a shocking discovery that again changes the dynamic of their family. In response to an early pregnancy test box he finds in the garbage, Samuel makes several impetuous and incorrect assumptions in his quest to find the origination of the box as well as the actual test itself. False accusations, an embarrassing series of errors in judgment, and a knee-jerk reaction to the truth leaves him at odds with his children and creates a schism between his eldest daughter and the love of her life. Enter Aunt Vivian to bring clarity to a difficult situation and to surprise the family with a revelation that none of them see coming... well, except maybe for Uncle Carl and Aunt Edith. Lost loves, new loves, love unrequited, and love rekindled, all culminate with the birth of the next generation of Bellamys in Rite of Passage, Book 2 in the Bellamy series.

About the Author

The middle child of three born to a country church pastor, Ken Bailey was raised in various parsonages throughout south Alabama and the panhandle of Florida. He began his work in church music at the age of 16 when the pianist at his fathers parish took a sabbatical to have a baby. He graduated from Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, Alabama, with a degree in music education and has spent his adult life working in southern churches. Ken is a people person and has always loved to talk. His kindergarten teacher affectionately told his mother, Someone has listened to Ken a lot. His enthusiastic conversational skills have been encouraged and honed by many years of church socials and by a long line of surrogate church grandmas, not to mention his aunts, parents and grandparents. His penchant for the verbose is paled only by his vivid imagination which runs virtually nonstop. He is always working with new ideas and looking for ways to improve. When preparing to demolish a wall or rearrange a room in their home, he playfully states to his wife, I always have to have a project. Ken has realized his wordiness and creativity can be an asset when channeled into writing. He has found great satisfaction in the development of his characters and their story lines and enjoys the unfettered creativity afforded by pen and paper (i.e. computer and word processing program).