Ray Blackston's novel will tickle your literary taste buds with a relational gumbo of quirky characters, stirred by the irreverent but sincere Jay Jarvis. Jay is new in town, young and successful, and not afraid to plop down in a pew to scope out the females. What he finds is a lovely-yet-unusual missionary with a warped sense of humor and a wicked throwing arm. She and a wacky assortment of friends turn Jay's perceptions of life upside down, launching events that leave him and those around him thoroughly Flabbergasted. By the way, when relational gumbo is on the menu, a South Carolina beach makes for great mood lighting.

To Neil Rucker, seven months, one week, and a day is too long to wait in between dates. But life as a Spanish language teacher to missionaries in Ecuador affords little opportunity for romance. When his worst student, Jay Jarvis, suggests a respite in Greenville, South Carolina, so begins Neil's delirious summer. Neil sees his chance to meet a sweet succession of southern women, but little does he know that the girls of Greenville are now more elusive than a snowflake in the Ecuadorian jungle. As they church-hop in search of the perfect man, Neil tries to find the perfect girl among the Neapolitan a demanding redhead, a joy-riding blonde, and a very tardy but intriguing girl with raven hair and a pierced eyebrow. Who knew relational gumbo would look like this?

# 9 008:43:00 Jay, the former-stockbroker-turned-missionary, travels to Australia for an exotic vacation but Jay and Allie find themselves stranded in the outback with little food or water, a jeep the color of the red dirt that surrounds them, and no way to let anyone know where they are..