Beautiful New Jersey

Typing away in the airport on my way home from a FABULOUS New Jersey RWA conference. It's warmer here than in Georgia right now...actually, it's freaking H-O-T. Take a look at my one and only picture from the weekend, and you'll agree, things are just about perfect in this lovely place ;o)

Yep, that's Bill Freeda, a romace cover model friend who showed for the book signing--a native Jersey boy who's always fun to see. I'm the tired lady standing beside him wearing no makeup because I'm working on my second conference in as many weeks. Bill, of course, is fresh as a daisy and lovely enough to hug that I remembered to pull out my camera and have a friend record the moment for my blog buddies! He'll be at RT again next year, and I hear tell there will even be a Romance Cover Model reunion...sigh...

I'm thrilled to report that Because of Boy once again sold like hotcakes. Romantic suspense seems to be a very good twist for my new Superromance venture. Can't wait to hear from readers as they get a chance to dive in. Harriette Klausner (a top online reviewer) has weighed in--and she likies:

"... BECAUSE OF A BOY is a fabulous look at health care for the homeless and for illegal immigrants as much as a contemporary romance. The story line is action-packed from the first encounter in the hospital between the lead couple and never slows down until the final altercation. Yet with all the non-stop action and the romantic subplot, Anne DeStefano provides a strong exposé on the lack of any health care for the homeless and limited at best for illegal immigrants (Hippocrates must be turning in his grave with some of the Draconian solutions to outlaw help).: --Hariette Klausner reviews

Wow--I LOVE writing about up-to-date topics and touch hearts and give you guys romance to gush over, all at the same time. And I promise, Remember Me, Atlanta Heroes book two, is just as exciting a romance. I'll give you a sneak peak during the blog release party, promise ;o)

But, more of Because of a Boy today... Thanks for letting me know you're enjoying it ;o) Here's more of Stephen Creighton--some of the last little bit of character setup before we run full speed into the action. Some of you will find Stephen and his boss Neal and theil legal aid center familiar--Neal was the hero of my award-winning The Prodigal's Return, and Stephen had a few cameo scenes in that book (too few...so I have him his own kick-ass story, lol!). It was a lot of fun to catch up with Neal and Jen ;o):

"No word yet from the hospital?" Neal Cain asked from the doorway of Stephen's office.

The man's dangerous edge wasn't softened by the well-cut suits and crisply-ironed shirts he always wore to the office. Stephen's boss, the founder of the meekly-named Atlanta Legal Aid Center had done five years of hard time--entering the adult penal system as a seventeen-year-old--for a manslaughter conviction he copped to, because he'd felt responsible for his best friend's accidental death.

His choice had robbed Neal of the last of his childhood, and eight years with the people he'd left behind in the small southern town he'd grown up in. But the traumatic experience had sparked his passion for protecting vulnerable defendants from an often too-rigid legal system that had neither the time nor the resources to make sure everyone received the highest quality defense possible. Neal's mission since his early parole had been making sure the innocents he defended were safe from the horrors he'd survived.

As soon as Stephen had briefed him on the Digarro situation, Neal had asked to meet the distraught father, then green-lighted the case. Whatever time Stephen needed to spend on it. Nothing beat Neal's instincts with people, and his gut had told him the same thing as Stephen's--Digarro was hiding something, but he wasn't responsible for Dillon's injuries.

"Nothing official yet from the hospital." Stephen pushed back from the desk. He rubbed the back of his neck, massaging the knots that refused to completely untie themselves at the end of each day. "I got in to see the kid for a few minutes. He's pretty banged up. I can understand the hospital's concern."

"You starting to doubt the father?" Neal gave up his relaxed pose lounging against the door jamb, and stepped into the shadows of Stephen's office. It was hours past sunset. Only a desk lamp held back the darkness as Stephen replayed every fact he knew about the case, what he'd seen with his own eyes, and Kate Rhodes' certainty that Manny Digarro was a threat to his own child.

"No," he finally said. "No way is Manny responsible for his son's medical condition."

"But you don't believe his whole story." Neal sat. He was wicked smart and ruthless, responsible for the bulk of their behind the scenes work, since convicted felons technically couldn't practice law. He was a silent weapon, writing briefs and negotiating deals long before cases got to trial. Still, he read people better and faster than anyone Stephen had ever met, and he hadn't been wrong about a client yet.

"Digarro never touched his son." Stephen was sure of it. "But that green card he showed us..."

"Yeah," Neal agreed, "it's a forgery."

And now the Digarro kid was in the system, and the police were focused on the father, while the hospital ran their tests.

"How long do you think we've got?" Stephen asked.

"Before INS comes looking to join the discussion?"

"Before Digarro disappears from Atlanta for good." There had been a lot of fear in the man the last time Stephen had spoken with him.

Illegal or not, Manny Digarro was fighting to make a new start in this country for his son. Stephen would welcome the chance to help make it a legal one. There were ways to hold off the INS, until the right visas could be obtained. Loopholes to wrangle, giving the Digarros time to apply for legitimate immigration status, and then citizenship.

But deportation was the likeliest outcome, if INS got involved before Stephen was ready to negotiate. Dillon couldn't travel in his condition, but his abusive father might find himself on the next bus back over the border, then turned over to Colombian authorities to deal with. Manny had to know the danger he was in. He was nowhere to be found, at least not at the last shelter he and his son had stayed at. Digarro had disappeared as soon as he'd given Stephen that gift to take to Dillon--along with a father's promise that he would be back for his son, no matter how long they were separated.

"Manny's next move depends on what we hear from the hospital," Stephen reasoned. "If we're lucky, he'll wait long enough to be cleared of the abuse charges. But we won't have the test results for several days. At least that's what the nurses answering the phone on the pediatric floor are saying."

A rotating shift of nurses that so far hadn't included the willful, heart-wrenchingly protective Kate Rhodes.

"And if he's not cleared of the charges?" For Neal, cold, hard reality was the only way to do business. "If immigrations status is an issue, the Digarros are headed for a courtroom either way. You'll work your magic, we'll take our chances, but this one may not be winnable."

Stephen was Neal's top litigator--a pedigreed, trust-fund baby no one had seen coming.

Underestimating him rarely happened anymore. He was too determined to help the under-privileged with the same passion as his boss. When he lost, he lost innocent lives to an unforgiving system, and he wasn't losing Dillon Digarro's father.

"We'll make it work," he said. "We've still got some time. If we don't hear anything by morning, I'll--"

"How many other cases do you have pending?" Neal asked.

He knew how many, of course. He knew what was written on every scrap of paper that circulated the office.

"No more than usual." Stephen shrugged.

"So, you're backed up two weeks out?"

The center's everyday caseload would have left the average lawyer drowning beneath mounds of briefs and pending motions, not to mention court appearances that ate entire days at a time.

"I'll handle it." Stephen always did.

"I know. You eat, sleep and breathe this job, the same as I used to," Neal conceded. He still beat even Stephen into the office most mornings, and was slaving away most evenings after Stephen headed home. "But if you're going to hunker down with the Digarro's, consider handing some of the everyday details over to the rest of the team. Let Kelly do your research. Give the junior associates a crack at some of your open cases."

"Yeah, sure," Stephen agreed as Neal stood and headed toward the deserted outer office.

Except Stephen didn't do teams, and they both knew it. Just like he never got sucked too far into a case or let relationships with clients get personal. He stayed in control. He got the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible, and then he moved on.

So why couldn't he get the Digarro's off his mind? And why had confronting one feisty nurse thrown him so badly that morning?

Kate Rhodes' mixture of strength and vulnerability had been a surprise. Her genuine concern for her young patient had been too genuine for an impartial medical professional. That was her tell. Stephen's way to convince her to fork over Dillon's test results before the hospital got around to doing it, so he could handle things for Manny and move on.

So why was the idea of playing the woman to get what he needed for his client, the way he'd played countless contacts in the past, suddenly so distasteful?