It's 1939, and the world is at the precipice of war. But life for one young man in rural America couldn't be better. Jonathon Blackwell is the eldest son of the most powerful family in town and heir to Blackwell Iron and Mining. Unlike many who struggled to survive the final years of the Great Depression, he has everything he could ever want - except the one thing he desires most. Sheltered by class, privilege, and living inside a locked iron fence meant to protect him, no one could ever imagine anything terrible could happen to him, but dark times are coming. Fate is about to play it's cruel hand, and when it's all over, the world, the country, and young Jonathon will be changed forever. The much anticipated prequel to the 2014 Watty award winning and Wattpad featured story, The Boy in the Woods! This is Jonathon's story, and it just may break your heart... Best Ranking: Historical Fiction #4 Note: Even though this story takes place before events in The Boy in the Woods, it's intended to be read AFTER because it wraps up the last of the mysteries of that story. A gentle warning - many spoilers and much confusion lie ahead if you decide to start with this one. :)

A newly expanded and professionally edited version of the Boy in the Woods is now available for sale as an ebook and paperback! Buy it at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and many other online outlets. Winner of the 2014 Wattys Talk of the Town award. After a devastating accident takes Jess's parents, a cold and controlling uncle is the only family she has left. Ripping away everything she's ever known, he takes her far from her home in the big city to live on the rural family estate. With a spoiled and stuck up older cousin the only other young person in the home, Jess struggles to adjust to her new life of loneliness and quiet isolation. While exploring the woods surrounding her home one day, she stumbles upon a mysterious boy. Desperate for a friend, she's instantly drawn to him, but he's deeply distrustful and wants nothing to do with her. Sneaking away to see him, she works hard to break through his walls and slowly gains his trust. As time passes, their bond grows from forbidden friendship into something more, but the threat they'll be caught looms closer. How far will Jess have to go to protect the boy she's fallen in love with? Or will her uncle find out about them before she can escape his control? The Boy in the Woods is a mysterious and poignant coming of age novel set in the late 1950's, with the same classic feel as A Little Princess and The Secret Garden. As one of the top ten most read historical fiction stories on the popular reading website Wattpad.com, it's already loved by tens of thousands of readers. This compelling story is twice the length of the average young adult novel, and is appropriate for ages 14 to adult. By the same author as Wattys finalists Stolen Hearts and Love You Forever! Best Ranking: Historical Fiction #1 General Fiction #3 Warning: This story contains occasional language and mild violence.