Synopses & Reviews
Jeffrey Stepakoff's
The Melody of Secrets is an epic love story set against the 1960s U.S. space program, when deeply-buried secrets could threaten not just a marriage, but a country.
Maria was barely eighteen as WWII was coming to its explosive end. A brilliant violinist, she tried to comfort herself with the Sibelius Concerto as American bombs rained down. James Cooper wasn't much older. A roguish fighter pilot stationed in London, he was shot down during a daring night raid and sought shelter in Marias cottage.
Fifteen years later, in Huntsville, Alabama, Maria is married to a German rocket scientist who works for the burgeoning U.S. space program. Her life in the South is at peace, purposefully distanced from her past. Everything is as it should be—until James Cooper walks back into it.
Pulled from the desert airfield where he was testing planes no sane Air Force pilot would touch, and drinking a bit too much, Cooper is offered the chance to work for the government, and move himself to the front of the line for the astronaut program. He soon realizes that his job is to report not only on the rocket engines but also on the scientists developing them. Then Cooper learns secrets that could shatter Marias world...
Review
Praise for
The Orchard:"An unforgettable story that will follow the readers heart for a long time." —Patti Callahan Henry
"A reminder of why I love to read." —Sandra Brown
Praise for Fireworks Over Toccoa:
“A luminous love story that readers wont soon forget . . . at once heartbreaking and triumphant—an affirmation of love.” —Emily Giffin
Synopsis
Jeffrey Stepakoff's
The Melody of Secrets is an epic love story set against the 1960s U.S. space program, where deeply-buried secrets could threaten not just a marriage, but a country.
Maria was barely eighteen when WWII was coming to its explosive end. A brilliant violinist, she tries to comfort herself with the Sibelius Concerto as American bombs rain down. James Cooper wasnt much older. A roguish fighter pilot stationed in London, he was shot down in a daring night raid and seeks shelter in Marias cottage.
Fifteen years later, in Huntsville, Alabama, Maria is married to a German rocket scientist who works for the burgeoning US Space Program. Her life in the south is at peace, purposefully distanced from her past. Everything is as it should be —until Robert Cooper walks back into it.
Pulled from a desert airfield where he was testing planes no sane Air Force pilot would touch, and drinking a bit too much, Cooper is offered the chance to work for the government, and move himself to the front of the line for the astronaut program. He soon realizes that his job is not only to report on the rocket engines, but also on the scientists developing them. Then Cooper learns secrets that could shatter Marias world...
About the Author
JEFFREY STEPAKOFF has written for the Emmy-winning The Wonder Years, Sisters, and Dawsons Creek, for which he was co-executive producer. Author of the acclaimed novels, Fireworks Over Toccoa and The Orchard, he has also developed and written plays, TV pilots and major motion pictures. Stepakoff holds a BA in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MFA in playwriting from Carnegie Mellon. He lives in Georgia with his wife and three young children. His fiction is published in six languages.