Vivion’s antecedents are Portuguese, Haitian Africans, and an attractive New Yorker with carrot-colored hair and a confident manner; factors which might have contributed to his academic and athletic success. Another might be his wealthy doting mother to whom he confessed an ambition to build an ecologically sensitive, self-sufficient house on country-side property she bought for him. He imagines that sustainable structure to be surrounded by a pepper farm that grows Moruga Red Scorpion peppers-the hottest peppers on the planet.

Prevailing factors threaten to defeat Vivion’s wish. Among these stumble-stones is his personal angst at being a bastard-a black smear among his circles. Although he has found the love of his life in a strong-will, dark-skinned Doughla who has chosen him to be her one-and-only, Vivion has to content with his irresponsible habit of eluding difficulties-when the goings get tough, Vivion’s gone.

Still, Vivion is not entirely unscrupulous. He is thoughtful, ingenious, generous, and charming as well. So let’s live with Vivion as he discovers and submits to the sublime effects of romantic love and father issues.

***This is an eGalley, so it is in the final stages of publication. There's a chance there are small errors in the manuscript.