Aesop Lake

Seventeen-year-old Leda Keogh was present when her boyfriend, David committed a hate crime against a gay couple. When David threatens to turn in Leda’s mother to the police for drug dealing if she won’t be his alibi, Leda must choose between doing the right thing, her boyfriend and her family. She tries to escape the situation by taking a job as a nanny on Aesop Lake, only to come face to face with Jonathan, one of the victims of the hate crime. Will Leda put the fate of her family and boyfriend first, or can Jonathan persuade Leda to tell the truth?

Sarah L. Ward of Burlington, Vermont

Sarah Ward writes young adult fiction, poetry and journal articles in the field of child welfare. Over a twenty-five-year career as a social worker, Sarah has worked with young adults and families with harrowing backgrounds. She won the 2007 Editor’s Choice Award for the New England Anthology of Poetry for her poem “Warmer Waters,” and she is a member of the League of Vermont Writers since 2008. As a social worker, Sarah has published several journal articles, and was recently a co-author on an article published (December 2016) in Child and Youth Services Review titled, “Building a landscape of resilience after workplace violence in public child welfare.” In her limited spare time, Sarah enjoys a good book, a little yoga and a cup of tea in her home in Williston, Vermont.