Photo of the Minneapolis skyline from an icy Lake Harriet with barren tree branches overhead.

 

Loss, Lakes, & Love

 

Loss, Lakes, & Love is a novel that explorer depression, anxiety, and academic struggles. Set in Minneapolis, the cold is used as an instrument in the main protagonist's own struggles with isolation. The tone is melancholy, but brightens as love fills the void.

 

I had trouble selecting an appropriate genre for this title. While the main plot is focussed on a gay romance, the tropes and themes do not fit. I'm going with contemporary fiction for this one, with some literary elements mixed in.

 

Loss, Lakes, & Love is coming in early 2025. ARCs will be available soon, and you may email me if interested in an early review copy. Below is the description. I hope you enjoy it.

 

Heavy anxiety with an unhealthy dose of depression, that's what rules Riley's life. There is no hope, and his days drag on as melancholy as the skies overhead. He should be dead.

 

Yet, this divine city won't let him go. Or perhaps it's an old friend? Or her? Nevertheless, he's still here.

 

As another day of work ends at his favorite bookstore, the emptiness back home is too strong to endure. Fate intervenes, and at the bar, a man takes his seat. Will this be another hollow hole dug into his heart? Will he destroy himself inside before love can blossom? Can he bear the isolation? And can they survive the crushing presence of that brutal fortress?

 

Regardless, a halo will shine, defeating the night.