Richly drafted characters reside in White Oak, a turn-of-the-last-century town that identifies more with the past than the present. Meet Cara and Nathan whose lives are interrupted abruptly by a stranger's visit, but it is the power they give their hedonistic pursuits that ultimately causes their downfall.
You'll also meet Marietta, a surrealistic aging opera singer, who is Cara's confidant; Randy, Nathan's best friend and worst influence; Hawk, Cara's long lost father, who reappears in her life like a bad penny, but turns out to be her salvation. Men fall over themselves to get closer to the sexually charged entertainer, Rita, whose liquid voice and undulating hips inspire barflies to order up.
If you find bad boys irresistible, then you'll love Cara's lover, Brian La Coste who plays her body and her mind as passionately as he plays the fiddle. Take in the eccentricity of Maya, a cigar-smoking artist whose cold façade melts as she becomes Hawk's soul mate. Then there's, Tolson, an immensely wealthy patron of the arts, who wants more than to possess Cara's paintings.
Why should two people who love each other, and who have everything fall from grace? If it is true the truth will set you free, then perhaps the journey to truth is worth traveling albeit fraught with sink holes and swamps. This story of the journey to self-discovery has many pitfalls and dead-ends, but you'll find yourself turning the pages hoping everyone will make it. Whether it is drugs, alcohol, sex, or even a self-image, addiction makes a cruel master, and the image in the mirror returns to haunt those not able to embrace their own frailties.
There's something for everyone in White Oak, a sexually charged tale of seduction and betrayal that follows the dark and winding path of secrets and self-indulgence. Come stay awhile at the Barrel Stave Inn and explore the scenic streets of this eccentric burg where fun and fortune are pursued with gusto.
