In the summer of 1995, young American writer Martin Paige agrees to chaperone a group of high school seniors on their graduation trip to Paris as a favor to his best friend, teacher Diane Jacobs. Diane hopes Europe will act as a catalyst to lift Martin from his grief following the suicide of his lover, Peter. But the trip proves to be more than either of them bargained for. Martin finds himself falling in love with one of her students, David McLaren, who is unprepared to cope with his burgeoning sexuality. He also meets a mysterious Parisian woman, Irene Laureaux, who is debilitated by agoraphobia and spends her days spying on the hotel guests across from her apartment. Martin and Irene discover they have a logic-defying connection: a small tribal tattoo on their left hands that means equal but opposite. This is same tattoo that Martin s lover and Irene's husband had inked into their skin. All the characters lives are irrevocably changed in a horrifying terrorist attack on a Paris metro station. Liberated by the blast, forced from her own self-imprisonment, Irene learns her husband's death was not an accident, and dares Martin to acknowledge the role he played in Peter's suicide. Diane, harboring her own secrets and a hidden agenda, takes a drastic step to force David out of the closet and admit his feelings for Martin. From America to England to France, the globe-hopping story places fictional characters amidst historical events such as the Nazi occupation of Paris, the student/worker riots of 1968 and the terrorist bombings of Paris in 1995. Grounded in reality, Conquering Venus is a mystery, a love story and a journey of self-realization.
Collin Kelley is the author of the mystery/suspense novels Remain In Light (watch the book trailer on Collin's Author Page) and Conquering Venus, both from Vanilla Heart Publishing. His poetry collections include After the Poison, Slow To Burn and Better To Travel. He the recipient of the 2007 Georgia Author of the Year/Taran Memorial Award and the 1994 Deep South Writers Award from the University of Louisiana. His poetry, essays and interviews have appeared in magazines, journals and anthologies around the world. He has given readings and guest lectured at San Jose State University, Georgia Tech, Savannah College of Art & Design and Worcester College at Oxford University in the UK. He lives in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.collinkelley.com.
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