Prez

Book excerpt: When a woman falls in love with a married man, a struggle begins. When that woman presides over a regional university and holds high ethical standards, a major conflict looms. Katherine Embright, chancellor of North Carolina's Wickfield University, thinks she can manage her head-versus-heart dilemma until she is diagnosed with colon cancer. Reluctantly, she turns to campus security officer Paul Stafford, the man who secretly stirs her feelings. This is 1990, an era when women executives cannot afford to appear weak. And Katherine needs Paul's expertise to help conceal her advancing illness from the public eye. Prez, A Story of Love takes the reader behind the ivy walls of academia into the real-life drama of the human heart. Along the way, Katherine runs out of gas on a mountain interstate, tangles with her aging Board of Trustees chairman, and rides through the winds of Hurricane Hugo. Adding to her tension is the guilt she harbors toward the long-ago deaths of her father and young brother. With a keen eye for both imagery and first-person narration, Margaret Garrison develops themes that embrace romantic passion, devotion for family, and spiritual grace. In the end, this debut novel will leave the reader feeling emotionally empowered and enriched.