The Three Loves of Charlie Delaney

Book excerpt: It is a cold North Carolina morning in 1987 when twenty-six-year-old Charlie Delaney stops at a restaurant to quell his hankering for pizza and is greeted by the girl of his dreams. Redhead Karen Thomas is innocent, playful, and quickly captures Charlie's passionate heart. But there is only one problem: she is in love with another. Charlie, who is determined to win nineteen-year-old Karen's heart, devises an ingenious plan to rid himself of his rival, with help from a private detective who digs into Karen's past to find shocking secrets. As Charlie realizes Karen has transformed his normal existence into a life of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment, he becomes a self-confident man who has the power to overcome everything, including his own fears. Now in the throes of a full-fledged obsession, Charlie manipulates fate in such a way that Karen falls in love with him. Now all Charlie has to do is overcome his personal demons before he and Karen can move forward into the future together. In this continuing saga, a lonely man who finally meets his soul mate must use creative methods to realize his life's purpose and win her heart.