Almost Family
STATUS: Complete Manuscript
Currently Querying Literary Agents
She didn’t mean to fall in love with a man who had a daughter.
She didn’t mean to lose him.
And she certainly didn’t mean to take the child and run.
But grief has a way of changing people.
Now, years later, Rebecca Keller has a new name, a new family, and a life she’s fought to protect.
But lies don’t stay buried forever.
How far will she go to protect a child she loves?
The Story
Rebecca Keller never planned on falling in love. Then she met Dante, a devoted single father whose three-year-old daughter, Sarah, quietly stole her heart.
When a devastating accident leaves Sarah with no one to protect her, Rebecca makes an impossible choice. Believing she's saving the little girl from an uncertain future, she leaves everything behind and begins a new life under a new identity.
Ten years later, Sarah, now Kira, has grown into a bright, happy teenager who has no idea her entire life is built on a secret.
But secrets have a way of finding daylight.
As Rebecca's carefully constructed world begins to unravel, she'll be forced to face the consequences of a decision made out of love, and answer the question she's been avoiding for years.
Was saving a child she loved worth losing everything?
Almost Family is a story about motherhood, grief, sacrifice, and the complicated truth that love doesn't always fit inside the boundaries of right and wrong.
Meet the Characters
Rebecca Keller/Gabby Rosanno
She made one impossible decision, then spent the next ten years trying to prove she deserved it.
Rebecca is fiercely protective, deeply compassionate, and willing to sacrifice everything for the people she loves. The hardest part about writing her wasn't creating the lie she lives with. It was helping readers understand the woman behind that decision.
Beneath all of her strength is a woman who's constantly questioning whether she deserves the life she's built.
Brent Rosanno
If Rebecca is constantly waiting for everything to fall apart, Brent is the person who quietly steadies the ground beneath her.
He's patient, dependable, and never tries to force answers before someone is ready to give them. He simply shows up, over and over again, for Rebecca and for Kira. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with him while writing this story.
Kira Rosanno
Kira is the heart of Almost Family.
She has grown up surrounded by love, completely unaware that the life she's always known began with heartbreak and impossible choices. Smart, funny, and compassionate, she's everything Rebecca hoped she would become.
Avery
Avery is Kira's little sister in every way that matters. Her innocence reminds Rebecca that family isn't built by biology alone, but by the love that's shared every single day.
Inspiration For This Novel
People often ask writers where story ideas come from. Sometimes they're inspired by a news story or a personal experience. For me, this one began with a single comment from a complete stranger.
Twenty-five years ago, I had just bought my first home. As I was outside unpacking, my new neighbor walked over to introduce herself. We hit it off immediately, and as she walked back toward her house, she smiled over her shoulder and said, "You have a beautiful family."
I remember laughing to myself because the thought that popped into my head was so ridiculous.
"She doesn't even know if these are really my children."
Then my imagination did what it always does.
What if they weren't?
It was such an absurd idea that it made me smile, but for some reason, I couldn't let it go.
It stayed with me for the next twenty-five years. The characters slowly came to life. Rebecca's voice became clearer. Kira grew up in my imagination. Their relationships became more complicated, and little by little, the story unfolded until I finally sat down and wrote it.
Looking back, it's funny to think that one passing comment from a neighbor (now my best friend) eventually became a novel.
Sometimes stories don't arrive all at once.
Sometimes they quietly wait for years until you're finally ready to tell them.
One of My Favorite Moments
People are often surprised when I tell them my favorite scene isn't one of the biggest or most dramatic moments in the novel.
It's the chapter where Sarah gets her first high fever.
At the beginning of Almost Family, Rebecca is overwhelmed by life. Her corporate job is slowly wearing her down, promotions never seem to come, and the fast pace of city life leaves her questioning who she is and where she's headed.
Everything changes when she becomes responsible for Sarah.
As the months pass, Rebecca slowly becomes Gabby, a woman who is stronger, more confident, and fiercely protective of the little girl she's raising. Watching that transformation unfold was one of my favorite parts of writing this novel.
Then Sarah gets sick.
Suddenly, all of Gabby's confidence disappears. Rebecca comes rushing back. She questions every decision she's made, wonders if she's good enough to be a mother, and fears she's failing the child she loves most.
What I love about this scene is Brent.
He sees the fear behind Gabby's confidence and reminds her that she doesn't have to be perfect.
She just has to love her.
To me, that chapter isn't really about a fever.
It's about a woman finally realizing that strength doesn't come from always having the answers. Sometimes it comes from simply showing up, even when you're scared.
What I Love About This Story
What I love most about Almost Family is that there aren't easy answers.
Every character believes they're doing the right thing.
They're simply trying to protect the people they love.
Those are the stories that stay with me long after I've finished reading them, and they're the stories I like to write.
More than anything, I love watching this family become a family. It's the quiet moments, dinners around the table, scraped knees, school events, bedtime routines, that make the biggest emotional impact because the reader always knows how fragile it all really is.
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