I am so pleased to host Kathy Handley today on her WOW Women on Writing Blog tour and chat with her about her novel Birds of Paradise. Her subject matter is sad and powerful about homeless teenagers in Hollywood California. Here is a brief synopsis: When trucker Joe-Mack picks up a runaway in Vegas and drops him in Hollywood, he offers to help him. When the call comes, he reaches out to the boy and becomes embroiled in Freddie's life along with Starlet, the homeless girl who desires stardom. The three have in common a search for love and for a place to belong. Set in California's beautiful, yet challenging neighborhoods, the characters, like lost Birds of Paradise, take on risks and maintain thin threads of dignity amidst troubling situations with surprising twists along the way. A recent reviewer said: I read Birds of Paradise while on vacation in L.A.-- the perfect place to experience Kathy Handley's powerful portraits of young street people lost and found. … [Read more...]