Sleeping in Eden (51 page)
Authors: Nicole Baart
8.
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Which of the characters in
Sleeping in Eden
most reminds you of yourself? Were any of your characters modeled on friends or family?
None of the characters really remind me of myself, but Meg is the girl that I
wished
I was. The truth is, I was a shy little wallflower throughout high school, and I didn't have an athletic bone in my body! I wanted to be tough and brave and strong, but I was skinny and nerdy and quiet. My nose was usually buried in a book, and if someone (a guy!) ever deigned to talk to me, I usually found myself tongue-tied, or worse: mute. But I love Meg's character, her breezy personality and verve for life. I feel much more like her now, and I embrace every challenge and opportunity that comes my way. From backpacking to world
travel to participating in a triathlon, I'm up for any adventure. I often say that I'll try anything once. Back then? Not so much.
The only other character that is even remotely based on someone I know is Lucas. This sounds incredibly sappy, but my husband loves me fiercelyâand I'm convinced that he'd move heaven and earth for me. When some early readers responded to Lucas's character, they didn't understand why he'd continue to fight for such a moody, grieving woman. But Aaron has stuck with me through some pretty tough times, and even at my lowest (after I lost a baby and didn't get out of bed for a week) he loved me. He called me beautiful and met me in the pit of my deepest need. I am utterly confident in his love.
© ELLEN VELDE PHOTOGRAPHY
NICOLE BAART
was born and raised in a small town in Iowa. She and her husband have three young sons. After the adoption of their infant son, Nicole discovered a deep passion for global issues and co-founded a nonprofit organization, One Body One Hope, that works alongside a church and orphanage in Monrovia, Liberia.
Sleeping in Eden
is her sixth novel.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Nicole Baart
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Howard Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Howard Books trade paperback edition May 2013
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Designed by Jaime Putorti
Cover design by Bruce Gore
Front cover photograph © Arcangel Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baart, Nicole.
Sleeping in eden : a novel / Nicole Baart.
p. cm.
1. PhysiciansâFiction. 2. Young womenâFiction. 3. WomenâCrimes againstâFiction. I. Title.
PS3602.A22S54 2013
813'.6âdc23
2012033312
ISBN 978-1-4391-9736-3
ISBN 978-1-4391-9737-0 (ebook)
