Shape of Grace: A Novel

This bravely optimistic work of fiction paints a portrait of later-in-life queer love, brimming with spirituality, self-discovery, and the natural beauty of Southern California.

When newly divorced fifty-year-old Grace Callahan spies a fixer-upper historic home for sale in Ojai, California, she decides to fly out from the Midwest to take a look. Grace immediately falls in love, with both the ramshackle old adobe and the little town. It’s just the change she’s been looking for—but once she moves in, she wonders if she’s bitten off more than she can chew. The house needs a lot of work, as do the orchards and the ranch animals. Luckily, support soon arrives: Emilio, a handsome contractor, helps restore the house; Juan and Carlos gently bring the orchards back to life; Rosa does housekeeping and becomes a friend; and Jane Anne offers to care for the animals, just as she did for the previous owner.

When Emilio asks Grace on a date, she’s excited. But as much as she enjoys his company, the spark isn’t there—and between the steep learning curve at the ranch, her new job, and her friendship with Jane Anne, there isn’t much time for romance in her life anyway. But as her relationship with Jane Anne grows closer and deeper, Grace wonders if there might be room in her life for love after all.