Starting From Now (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798330587896)

This is definitely not your Hallmark romance!

There are no gorgeous young professionals (Writers, photographers, artists), and there are no exotic locations. Instead, this romance novel welcomes readers to a Home Improvement center surrounded by tools, the smell of sawdust, and warehouse decor.

The novel introduces readers to Jack Marsalis, 50, who has worked at the South Jersey HomeMaxx home improvement store in Franklinville, New Jersey for the last 15 years. Jack had a successful career as an operations manager until a treacherous co-worker and a bad temper sent him spiraling financially, morally, legally, and emotionally.

Then we meet Lashay Jones, 48, who has worked at the HomeMaxx home improvement store for the last 15 years. Lashay had a successful career in finance until injuries from an abusive husband sent her into an addiction vortex. Lashay transferred to the Franklinville store two years ago to escape a handsy boss and met Jack. Since then, their attraction to one another has started and stalled as each struggle to reveal the secrets of their past and risk rejection.

The theme of the novel is redemption. Jack and Lashay are rebuilding their lives, yet they know that people are judged by not only who they are now, but also who they used to be.

Also in the store, Gus a widower from the Lumber department must train a new employee, Noah, who was thrown out of his house when he revealed to his family that he was gay. That is going to be an almost impossible task for Gus, since he has not seen or spoken to his son Michael in years because he is gay.

The home improvement store was recently bought out by a private equity firm, Black Cobalt, which is trying to extract as much profit as possible from it before closing it.

Into this financial, relationship, and cultural chaos, an abandoned Calico cat shows up at the store and changes lives as the feline brings out the best in humanity at the store.