Daniel's Wife

Jessica Weaver's life was perfect. Her handsome, gregarious husband Daniel, a public relations consultant, made a good salary and provided her with a lifestyle to be envied. However, when Daniel goes away on a business trip and doesn't return, Jessica's life falls apart. After five years of marriage, Jessie, whose life revolved around her husband, finds herself alone in a strange town. Having set aside thoughts of a career or life outside of marriage, she must start all over again. The novel is set in the 1980's in Judson Springs, a small city in the Northwest which houses the state's only prison. Daniel and Jessie Weaver have only recently relocated there when he is sent to open a new office in another city. To occupy her time while Daniel is away, Jessie begins work as a substitute teacher at the local schools. This is her first professional job and the first time she has been separated from her husband. When Daniel's job keeps him away longer than expected, Jessie, driven by loneliness, decides to find activities to occupy her time when not being called to substitute. Putting aside her fears, she accepts an invitation to attend a meeting at a local organization. At the Society to Enhance Black Cultural Advancement, or SEBCA, Jessie meets Clarisse, a wealthy, flamboyant member. Clarisse befriends her and introduces her to other members of African American society in Judson Springs, upper middle-class professionals who live on the "hill." Receiving a letter from Daniel that he will not be returning to Judson Springs, Jessie refuses to believe it. However, by continuing to deny the fact that their marriage is over, she nearly suffers a breakdown. Jessie is at a low point when she meets Cleveland Earl, a prisoner who lives in a half way house and works in the community while awaiting his release. At first Jessie struggles to maintain distance. However, as her feelings for him grow, so, too, does her need to discover herself.
About the Author: Anna Christian is the author of three books, The Big Table, an illustrated children's book, 2008; Mrs. Griffin is Missing and Other Stories, a preteen novel, 2005; and Meet it, Greet it, and Defeat it! The Biography of Frances E. Williams, Actress/Activist, 1999. She has two biographical entries in the 2008 African American National Biography Project published by Oxford University Press; one of Frances E. Williams and one of Rupert Crosse, actor. A freelance writer, her articles have appeared in Image Magazine and the Skanner Newspaper in Portland, Oregon. She has written book reviews for Sisterhood Agenda Magazine and the Salem Public Library, and book evaluations for L.A. Unified School District. In addition to her blog, "Celebrating Life" on blogspot.com, she has blogged for the Oxford University Press. She has an M.A. in English from CSULA. She taught Language Arts for L.A. Unified school District and Moreno Valley Unified School District from which she retired. In addition, as an adjunct professor with Riverside Community College she taught English and worked in the Teacher Preparations Special Projects. Presently she facilitates a Creative Writing/Life Story class at the Moreno Valley Senior Center. Also, she works with the Teen Poetry Workshop. She is the recipient of the 1999 Research and Status of Black Women in the Arts award from the Southern California Conference Branch, Women's Missionary Society of the AME Church. In addition to her first adult novel, Daniel's Wife, she is working on a second in the Bobby and Sonny Mystery Series, The Newcomer. Christian is a member of the Renaissance Writers of Riverside and the California Writers Collective.