An extraordinary journey brings two strangers together in Elizabeth A. Finley's poignant debut novel, Going the Distance.
Martha Murphy is aspiring to heal after a failed suicide attempt by bicycling across all forty-eight continental US states...and hopefully clearing her head in the process.
What she doesn't count on is Jake Mason, a pesky newspaper reporter assigned to follow her across the country and ferret out the real reason she's embarked upon this trip.
While the two are off to a rocky start, soon Martha and Jake find in each other kindred spirits. As they journey from Denver to Cheyenne and beyond, the two begin to reveal things about themselves that they've never told anyone before-and Jake realizes that to expose Martha's secrets now would be to utterly betray their newfound friendship.
Jake struggles with his conscience even as he takes notice of Martha's newfound strength, health, and determination. Blinded by his own dark past, however, he fails to recognize her crippling insecurity at being alone-and penniless.
As Martha and Jake each struggle to face and accept their troubled pasts, they must find a way to trust each other if they ever hope to move on.
About the Author: Elizabeth A. Finley was inspired to write her debut novel, Going the Distance, based on her blog, which highlights virtual bike tours one can experience on a stationary bicycle.
This same premise was used as the basis for a monthly column written for the Colorado Catholic Herald.
Finley currently lives in Colorado Springs.
