You've got to kiss a lot of frogs…The long hard journey is over. Cannon Malloy's done hopping around, chasing after golden balls and elusive dreams. He's faced his demons, made his peace with his past. It's time to stop hiding, get out that suit of armor, try it on for size, and ride off into the sunset with his Prince Charming.So why is Finn Lorensson suddenly more ogre than prince?The beast on Finn's back turned out more pathetic than ferocious, but still he can't break free from the chains that duty and self-image impose. He may be forced into the shadows, but it'll be a cold day in hell before this knight errant turns his back on love.Because when you find that one in a million frog, who's a cursed prince in disguise…Well, some things are worth fighting for. Somewhere in a small town in up-state New York are a librarian and a second grade teacher to whom I owe my life. That might be a touch dramatic, but it's nevertheless one hundred percent true.Because they taught me the joy of reading, of escaping into worlds crafted of words.Have you ever been nine years old and sure of nothing so much as that you don't belong? Looked at the world from behind glasses, and wondered why you don't fit?Then turn the page and see… there you are, running from Injun Joe in a dark graveyard; there you are fencing with Athos; there you are…beneath the deep blue sea- marveling at exotic creatures with Captain Nemo.I found myself between the pages of books, and that is why I write now, it's why I taught English and literature for so many years, and it's why my house contains more pounds of books than furniture.If I'd had my way, I'd have been a fencer…or a starship captain, or a lawyer, or a detective solving crimes. But instead, I am a writer, and that's the best thing in the world to be if you ask me, because as a writer, I can be all those things and more.If I hadn't learned to value the stories between the pages, who knows what would have happened? Certainly not college…teaching…or writing.
