A Line Between Friends

Winner of the McKenna Publishing Group’s fiction contest.

Can a man and a woman remain friends after each marries someone else? This is the story of a friendship spanning more than twenty years, until the day Noelle Moncada receives a terse, three-line letter from her friend, Joel Rolland, asking her to end all contact. Perplexed and hurt, Noelle recounts the details of her relationship with Joel and tries to determine why he feels the friendship must end. Was it something she did or said? Was it because of his wife, the beautiful Anita Dambra? Or was it because once during a night of passion and release, Noelle and Joel crossed the line between friends?

What the Reviewers are saying about The Things I Wish I’d Said:

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW: “[A Line Between Friends is] a thoughtful, moody novel about the complex dynamics of human relationships. Highly recommended.” READER VIEWS: “Hard to put down and a joy to read, Cozzens has definitely made her mark in the world of fiction. Brilliant!” THE LAKELAND TIMES: “Cozzens does it again: A Line Between Friends [is] a supurb read” ARIZONA DAILY STAR: “Because this is such a hot topic, it creates a lively dialogue between men and women . . . The book has extraordinary writing.” “Anyone who has ever Googled an old flame will relate to this book. A Line Between Friends captures—in heart-wrenching detail—the bittersweet passage of time, the memory of teenage love, and the necessity of growing up and accepting the choices we’ve made.” —ROBIN MELOY GOLDSBY, author of Piano Girl, A Memoir “Michele VanOrt Cozzens is a first class storyteller. She nails the characters with just a few words. Her device of having them gives nicknames to each other is nothing short of brilliant.” —JACK PRIEST, author of Ragged Man “Michele brings the story full circle to the cryptic note, and it kept my interest from the start. The scenes are full of vivid descriptions, and everything hits on all cylinders.” —KIRK ORT, author of Seven Days in Missouri “Michele VanOrt Cozzens has written a riveting novel about the deep love and friendship between Noelle and Joel– two searching souls, who touch one another’s lives in tenuous ways, but never fully culminate. The pursuit to discover their final denouement, keeps the reader at a page turning pace.” —LUDMILLA BOLLOW, author of Dr. Zastro’s Sanitarium “A Line Between Friends contains some extraordinary writing, with suprising, humorous, and insightful details sprinkled throughout. Michele VanOrt Cozzens brings the emotion home with the settings and the characters’ inner dialog.” —JERRY R. TRAVIS, author of The Alcamean Sword Scrolls “The metaphors are brilliant, and the writing so crisp and clean . . . . I really and truly cried when this novel came to an end” —SELAH COOPER-HOLL, author of Tallulah and Posomotor, The Familiar

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