A Clearing in the Clouds

On a residential street in Naples, Florida, a man is killed by a hit and run driver as his wife, her best friend and a high school neighbor watch in horror. After the tragedy, the three women struggle with sorrow, anger and blame. Family members and friends attempt to help them but dark days prevail. Only when a player from the past suddenly enters their lives does the possibility seem real that the women can heal and find true solace.

On a sun-dappled street in Naples, Florida, Jim Franza, a retired litigator, is hit by a car in front of his home. His wife Ivy, her best friend Marge Coppola and young neighbor Elena Pineda, watch in horror as Jim is killed instantly and the driver runs from the scene. Ivy is devastated and turns to alcohol for comfort. She blames the driver and Elena for Jim's death since Elena was with the driver minutes before he raced down the road. Elena feels responsible for the tragedy and spirals into morbid depression. Caught between an inebriated Ivy and a reclusive Elena she hardly sees, Marge is distraught at her inability to help either of them. Her desperation growing, Marge is ready to give up when a player from the distant past enters the scene and changes everything.

Joan Fox Peppe had the privilege to travel the country for twenty years as an association executive at a New York based national organization. When fate unexpectedly intervened, Joan and her husband Mike moved to Florida and embarked on a partnership selling residential real estate. Joan is thrilled to have a career as an author. A Clearing in the Clouds is her first novel. Joan and Mike live in Naples, Florida with their two Malti-Poos Gracie and Chloe.