Ella Wall moves away with her children . . . away from the inner city . . . away from her miserable marriage . . . away from her lifetime of bad decisions. She hopes to move toward what has eluded her all her life -- peace and simplicity. Using all of her resources and energy, Ella starts life anew. Her small-town neighbors welcome her, especially the mysterious Tucker Gray. He longs to be with, and tell, Ella everything. However, that may chase her away -- destroying him yet again. When things are finally looking up, the bottom drops out. Vandalism, destruction and danger encompass Ella's life, and she realizes someone is thwarting her attempts at happiness. But who, and why? The journey Ella takes leads her to discover that Serenity is not a place or a person but a state of mind. And in Serenity, anything is possible. Melissa Michaels lives in Huntersville, North Carolina with her wonderfully supportive husband and two terrific children. She has had a long career in the hotel/restaurant industry. The Holiday Inn Corporation published two of her short stories in their book Without Reservations, placed in all Holiday Inn Hotel rooms and sold nationwide.