Creative Hodgepodge: Please Welcome Author EA West

Today, author E. A. West is here to share with us her recently updated novel, Finding the Way Home:

Blurb:

Nurse practitioner Hazel Baker is stunned when the Agency asks her to take a traumatized field agent home with her. Her immediate concern is how it will affect her four-year-old daughter. But, after meeting the broken man, she can’t deny him the opportunity for healing and opens her home to him. If only she could find a way to help him regain the ability to speak, which he lost after being captured during a mission…

Ian Grant may not have a voice, but he still has a conscience — something many of his colleagues at the Agency seem to have lost. Their unethical behavior set back his recovery from the torture he endured, but his move to Hazel’s house gives him hope that perhaps someone truly does care about him, not just what he knows. But can Hazel’s gentle presence and her daughter’s innocence help him find the strength to fight against the corruption riddling the Agency?

Excerpt:

Hazel turned to face the director and Mr. Wolenczek behind him. “I want to speak with Ian for a moment before I make a final decision. If all goes well, I will take him in and do whatever I can to aid his recovery.”

A furrow formed between Director Cole’s eyebrows, and he drew in a breath. “I’m not sure—”

“Let me go in first,” Mr. Wolenczek said. “Ian knows me, so it might go better if I introduce you before you talk to him.”

“That’s fine.” Hazel ignored the director’s displeased expression and followed Mr. Wolenczek to the door of the observation room.

He typed a code into the keypad by the door, and the light turned red. Opening the door, he stepped inside and spoke in a low, even tone. “Ian, let me know you hear me.”

Ian lifted a hand in a halfhearted wave before letting it fall into his lap again. Mr. Wolenczek stepped farther into the room and motioned for Hazel to join him.

“Ian, this is Hazel Baker. She’s a nurse practitioner and would like to speak with you. All right?”

The same hand lifted briefly in acknowledgement, but otherwise Ian showed no sign that he was aware of the world around him.

Hazel glanced at Mr. Wolenczek, and he nodded. Drawing in a calming breath, she stepped forward and knelt before her soon-to-be patient and housemate. “Ian, they’ve asked that I bring you to my home so you won’t have to stay here any longer. Would you like that?”

He lifted his head ever so slightly and met her gaze with chocolate brown eyes. The shadows of horror were unmistakable, but she suddenly had a feeling he was aware of a lot more than he let on.

She gave him a smile and laid her hand on his arm in a show of friendship. “I have a four-year-old daughter. Her name is Ellie.”

Ian studied her for what felt like an eternity before he finally gave a single small nod. He dropped his gaze again, and Hazel glanced at Mr. Wolenczek. He shrugged, offering no help in deciphering the nod. She turned back to Ian.

“Does that mean you want to come stay with me?” He nodded again, and Hazel gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “All right, then. We’ll make arrangements to transport you to my house.”

She stood and followed Mr. Wolenczek out of the room. As he and the others discussed the transportation plan, she glanced through the glass wall. Ian met her gaze and held it for a few seconds before looking away again. He stretched out on the bench with his back to the hall, and Hazel tried to return her attention to the discussion around her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get those troubled brown eyes out of her mind. It felt like he was trying to tell her something, but what?

Finding the Way Back is available from most online retailers including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.

About the Author:

E.A. West, award-winning author of sweet and inspirational romance, is a lifelong lover of books and storytelling. In high school, she picked up her pen in a creative writing class and hasn’t laid it down yet. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, knitting, and crocheting. She lives in Indiana with her family and a small zoo of pets.

Connect with E.A. West and learn more about her books in the following places: