Years ago, and far away, I had an idea for a story. I saw, briefly, in a dream, two lovers—a man and a woman, even—arguing. I didn’t know why they were arguing. But I saw them. Then I saw two otherworldly beings above them. The lovers had suffered a car accident, and the beings did something bizarre, first binding the man’s soul into the woman, then the woman’s soul into the man. I wondered what had happened to cause all this, and set down to write what I’d seen even though I didn’t understand it.
That was the germination for my new novel Changing Faces.
As I wrote, I realized the man, Allen Bridgeway, had been a foster child, adopted late by a childless couple. And the woman, Elaine Foster, had also been a foster child, but she hadn’t been nearly as fortunate as Allen; instead, she’d been raped by five teenage boys while supposedly safe in her final foster home. Due to that awful event, she became an Emancipated Minor, graduated high school early, and went to college at the age of sixteen…where she met Allen and became friends with him.
Note that Allen knew from the start that Elaine was bisexual, and mostly dated women. So while he was attracted to her early, he never made a move…not until years had gone by, and he’d considered Elaine to be his best friend in the world.
The problems started when he asked her to marry him.
He now was nearly thirty, and she was twenty-eight. Unbeknownst to him, Elaine is transgender. Even though she has always used the default pronoun “she,” she feels more male than female. Why does this matter? Well, she worries that Allen will leave her once he knows the truth. When she finally tells him that she is transgender, he doesn’t understand. She gets upset, and insists on being driven to a hotel—on one of the worst nights of the year a week before Christmas.
This is why the car accident happens, you see.
Anyway, Allen, being a good sort, drives her there without complaint. But inwardly, he prays that Elaine will not leave. He says he’ll do anything, absolutely anything…then, as his car gets into that accident, he gets his wish. Two higher beings—we may as well call them angels—take an interest, with the elder of the two binding Allen’s soul into Elaine’s body, then putting Elaine’s soul inside Allen’s.
So, instead of having one LGBT person, now because of the angels, we have two. They both have to figure out how to be their authentic selves no matter what the obstacles, in the hopes that it will deepen and broaden their love and understanding for one another.
That, in a nutshell, is why I wrote Changing Faces. I do hope you’ll enjoy it.
About the Book:
Title: CHANGING FACES
Genre: transgender fantasy-romance (contemporary)
Author: Barb Caffrey
Website: http://elfyverse.wordpress.com
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
Purchase links: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3CQKWJ/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/changing-faces-barb-caffrey/1125707044
Allen and Elaine are graduate students in Nebraska, and love each other very much. Their life should be idyllic, but Elaine’s past includes rape, neglect, and abuse from those who should’ve loved her—but didn’t, because from childhood, Elaine identified as transgender.
When Elaine tells Allen right before Christmas, he doesn’t know what to do. He loves Elaine, loves her soul, has heard about transgender people before, but didn’t think Elaine was one of them—she looks and acts like anyone else. Now, she wants to become a man and is going to leave.
He prays for divine intervention, and says he’ll do anything, just please don’t separate him from Elaine…and gets it.
Now, he’s in Elaine’s body. And she’s in his. They’ll get a second chance at love.
Why? Because once you find your soulmate, the universe will do almost anything to keep you together—even change your faces.
About the Author:
Barb Caffrey is a writer, editor, and musician who holds two degrees in Music.
She has a particular fondness for the clarinet, lived in Nebraska for the better part of three years, and appreciated the ability to combine both her loves with the writing of Changing Faces.
Her other books are An Elfy on the Loose and A Little Elfy in Big Trouble (otherwise known as the Elfy duology), while her short stories have appeared in a number of places (most recently in Realms of Darkover). She’s also the co-writer of the Joey Maverick series of stories (with late husband Michael B. Caffrey), so the next story you might see from her could be military science fiction—or better yet, military science fiction with romance.
She lives in Wisconsin.
Barb Caffrey’s Elfyverse: https://elfyverse.wordpress.com
Link to book: http://www.twilighttimesbooks.com/ChangingFaces_ch1.html
Amazon (US): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3CQKWJ
The Story Behind the Book 