Publication Date: February 29, 2024
A sensitive loner on the run from his past.
A rebellious young heiress with a death wish.
A bridge brings them together … a mystery can tear them apart.
Following a life-shattering accident, conscience-stricken Will Archer seeks refuge in a small Ohio River town, where he plans to live out his life as a virtual hermit. But a chance encounter with Essence Warner, orphaned daughter of a jazz saxophonist and an aristocratic socialite, entangles him in a quest to discover the truth behind the cold case of her parents’ mysterious deaths.
As Will deciphers clues, he becomes romantically entwined with Essence, forming a relationship that draws him into a sordid underbelly of small-town existence that threatens his own life. At the same time, he uncovers a dark secret that could set Essence free from her own path of self-destruction-or does she have a plan of her own?
Soft as Water is a novel about bridges-between strangers across a river-and the dangers of mutual attraction when worlds divided by race, wealth, and culture collide. In the end, though, the novel offers a glimmer of hopefulness that survivors of trauma-physical, emotional, and sexual-can transcend their circumstances and find redemption through connection.
A man who deserts his family as a form of penance for a tragedy finds himself caught up in a quest for answers.
Author B. Robert Conklin possesses a rather unique writing style that subtly draws the reader into the story. His subject matter tends to be rather eclectic and packed with surprises. His latest novel, Soft as Water, delivers a powerful message about second chances.
Conklin’s approach takes readers down a twisted path as Will starts his new life as a museum curator. A chance meeting with an enigmatic young woman pushes him on a quest to find answers about the true fate of her parents.
Add in color-themed clothing days, messages from a ghost, and some wicked one-liners for a reading experience that will keep you invested until the end.
Soft as Water features a bridge as a central focal point to showcase broken characters seeking a way to overcome their past.
B. Robert Conklin (he/him/his) lives in Columbus, Ohio, where he enjoys the unpredictable moments of family life with his spouse, three kids, four cats, and two ferrets. His credits include stories in Blue Moon Literary & Art Review, THAT Literary Review, and Kestrel, with another accepted for inclusion in The Strong Stuff: The Best of Fictional Café, Volume II. With a teaching background in composition and literature, he has also co-authored a college textbook to help emerging writers connect with their world. In a different medium, he practices the craft of cartooning. An End to Etcetera is his debut novel, which has placed as a finalist in the suspense category of the 2023 National Indie Excellence Award contest.
