"Don't take the mask off -you might not like what you see." Daunting behavior is everywhere. World War II is raging and racial tensions have exploded in Detroit causing the 1943 riot as Paradise Valley swings the blues. Melanie has lost her one true friend from "black bottom" and to make matters worse her marriage is ending in divorce. The people she thought she could trust are only a mirage of respectability. They shine in the limelight but lie in the shadows. Their need for control is sucking the vitality from her soul. In her challenge to live and love again Melanie finds herself in New Mexico with a Navajo holy man who teaches her that through forgiveness there is hope in the new. Being with Miguel is effortless and when he touches her there is a jolt of tenderness. Is it possible that she has found an unbridled love where friendship and honesty are the norm and not the exception. "I had to keep reading this story of tragedy and triumph to see what happens." Jerry Bley. "It is so descriptive and well-researched, and it really draws the reader in. I can see it on the big screen." Jenna Gwyn Leininger, professional editor. "Water your heart and let it grow for in the end a well-developed heart is a free soul."