On the Same Page

Book excerpt: Joanna Howes left Martha’s Vineyard at the age of eighteen and moved to New York City to become a writer. Now in her thirties, she returns to care for her cranky, injured uncle Hank. The Vineyard has a split personality—part elite summer resort, part working-class small town—and its two papers reflect the seasonal schism in their reporting. Needing income, Joanna freelances for one Island newspaper(the Journal), but as it doesn’t cover her bills, she creates an alter ego to write for the rival paper (the Newes). All is fine until Joanna is assigned by both papers to report on the same story: a wealthy seasonal resident is suing the town for the right to use his private helicopter. But when Joanna agrees to a cup of coffee with a charming stranger, she has no idea she’s made a date with Orion Smith, helicopter owner. And Orion doesn’t realize Joanna is the niece of his most outspoken critic. Witty, engaging, and insightful, On the Same Page is about the half-truths we tell ourselves—and others—when our hearts are on the line.