Outskirts Press, INC.

What Makes Parallels That Cross Unique

Parallels That Cross is a delightfully creative novel that takes you down literary paths like those you have explored with Barbara Kingsolver’s books. Perfect for book clubs seeking an enjoyable alternative to dystopian or fantasy novels.

This novel pivots on Mica, an archaeologist, and Clay, an ornithologist, who are independently and simultaneously resolving their sex-based relationship anxieties while searching in 1982 for extraordinary treasures hidden deep in the Peruvian wilderness. Mica is exploring for an ancient city she theorizes was founded by women led by a princess daughter of Peru’s last reigning Inca ruler. Clay, working on his doctoral research on another side of the same mountain, is testing his new biodiversity model that predicts discovery of new avian species. Mica suffers from a lifelong self-doubt that she will turn out like her lesbian mother. Clay is tormented by his own nightmare that he has become his philandering dad.

Packed with mesmerizing stories, breath taking adventures into beautiful settings, complex intimacy, and user-friendly science, Parallels That Cross narrates the fascinating parallel lives of Mica and Clay as they face unimaginable personal and professional challenges. Terrorists, waterfalls, catastrophes, and psychiatrists define important life thresholds that they must step through. Ultimately, they must confront whether their lives are controlled by destiny or free will.

Book Excerpts: 

“I choose, navigating by grace and with gratitude.
I choose, being queen of my inner kingdom.”

Where Ewoks escape from Return of the Jedi to find a secret home on earth—
one that no human has ever beheld.

“Free will, her strength undeniable, if only you believe that
Destiny is merely in the eyes of the beholder.”

Mica, a real woman, not a dream produced by chewing a few leaves, walks quickly up our trail floating back into the cloud, almost like she ceased to exist. Moments later, as I shake my head, trying to dislodge a disturbing feeling that something is not right with this dream, I’m startled by a terrified scream. As in a nightmare, Mica is on the muddy ground kicking at a guy holding onto her other leg. Another is pinning her down with his knee on her back as she scratches at his face. Instinctively, I raise my gun. A third terrorist running up the trail toward me shouts in Spanish, “Put the gun down gringo or we will kill her.”

“OK, OK! But she’s pregnant, so please don’t hurt her,” acting fast on my observation that even shitheaded Peruvian men worship pregnant women. The guy on her back sneers evilly back at me then slams, with a sickening thud, the side of Mica’s head with a fist after she manages to hit him in the nose with her elbow.

“Should I kill him?” threatens the guy with the gun pointed at me. I duck and run toward Mica, but he trips me then clobbers the back of my head with his gun. Everything flashes red, then black.