Books

Candlelight Bridge, A Novel
FlowerSong Press (2024)
ISBN: 978-1-963245-07-3

International Latino Book Awards Honoree, Historical Fiction

Candlelight Bridge, A Novel

In 1910, 12-year-old Candelaria Rivera and her family flee across the Chihuahuan desert to America to escape the Mexican Revolution. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Yan Chi Wong flees the Chinese Revolution, also bound for America, where he’s nicknamed Yankee. Down the road, they meet in the borderlands of El Paso, Texas. There, they fight to make a home in a world that does not want them, until a terrible desire threatens to destroy their lives. Candlelight Bridge is no romance, but a tale of grudging partners struggling to survive the American Dream.

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Praise for Candlelight Bridge

“CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE unflinchingly illustrates the sacrifices required to make a home in an unwelcoming place. With vivid prose, Cara Lopez Lee brings to life the story of two immigrants from opposite sides of the world who form an unlikely and surprising partnership. This is a gripping tale of resilience, redemption, and survival.”
—Tiffany Quay Tyson, author of The Past is Never
“CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE poignantly portrays the journeys of Candelaria Rivera and Yankee Wong, fleeing violence and revolutions and heading toward each other in a new world. Impeccably researched, this heartfelt story offers no stereotypes, no cliches—only interconnected stories of life’s struggles and resilience.”
—Eleanor Parker Sapia, multi-award-winning author of A Decent Woman, a Novel and Tight Knots, Loose Threads, Poetry
“In CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE, Cara Lopez Lee masterfully weaves together two compelling perspectives to explore geographical and emotional borderlands. Elegantly told, dazzling in its verisimilitude, and fascinating in its cultural complexity, this gorgeous novel shows just how far we are willing to go in our quest for home.”
—Erika Krouse, author of Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation
They Only Eat Their Husbands

They Only Eat Their Husbands

Love, Travel, and the Power of Running Away

After a lover threatens to kill her, 26-year-old Cara Lopez Lee runs away to Alaska. There, she lands in a love triangle with two alcoholics: Sean, the martial artist, and Chance, the paramedic. Nine years later, sick of love, she runs away again, to backpack around the world—alone. This memoir recounts one woman’s journey to self-discovery with dazzling honesty and humor, taking readers with her on a year-long trek through China, Nepal, Thailand, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Ireland, with reflections on her nine years in Alaska.

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Praise for They Only Eat Their Husbands

“It’s rare when an author really opens up and divulges her innermost insecurities. Cara Lopez Lee… brings the reader right into her roller coaster world…”
—Susan Blumberg-Kason, author of the bestselling memoir, Good Chinese Wife

“The characters are as well drawn as those in novels, the relationship dynamics fascinating, and the journey of self-discovery very satisfying.”
—Barbara Wright, author of the award-winning novel, Plain Language

They Only Eat Their Husbands is a witty and moving story that truly captures the sense of wonder, self-discovery and adventure that unfolds when one throws caution to the wind and ventures out into the world alone.”
—Anne Fox, award-winning series producer for the Travel Channel

“Lee writes candidly about her adventurous—and sometimes tumultuous—journey through life. Her vivid prose draws you into that journey. Her passion makes you want to stay for the ride.”
—Valorie Burton, best-selling author of 10 books on living a fulfilling life, including Get Unstuck and What’s Really Holding You Back?

Where There's a Will

Where There’s a Will

A Novel

World War II hero Will Miner is close with his grandson, seventeen-year-old musician Dylan Mercer. So when Dylan’s best friend dies, he runs away to Grandpa’s to hide from his memory and his future. Dylan escapes choosing between college and rock-and-roll, disappears into the stories of eighty-one-year-old Grandpa Will, and discovers a surprise: before Will became a hero, he was a young rebel. Will’s tales of the circus, Route 66, riding the rails, and fighting a war, reveal he’s hiding his own losses. Where There’s a Will takes readers under the surface of one hot Tennessee summer, as grandfather and grandson spill secrets and discover a true bond between men.

Unexpected Prisoner

Unexpected Prisoner

Memoir of a Vietnam POW

When Lieutenant Robert Wideman’s plane crashed on a bombing run in the Vietnam War, he feared falling into enemy hands. Although he endured the kind of pain that makes people question humanity, physical torture was not his biggest problem. During six years as a prisoner of war, he saw the truth behind Jean-Paul Sartre’s words: “Hell is other people.” Unexpected Prisoner looks at how soldiers trapped in war often have the most troubling conflicts with those on the same side. Wideman’s memoir explores a POW’s struggle with enemies and comrades, Vietnamese interrogators and American commanders, his lost dreams and ultimately himself.

Goodreads

Praise for Unexpected Prisoner

“An eye-opener. I had developed a totally different picture of POW existence. Unexpected Prisoner is a must-read.”
—Billy Thornton, PhD, Vietnam War Veteran

“This is a truly remarkable account of experiences from within the walls of captivity.”
—Rick Fischer, Vietnam War Veteran, Army Pathfinder shot down in 1969

“Unless you were there, you will never truly understand what it was like being a POW in Vietnam. Robert Wideman and his remarkable book do an incredible job of putting you there!”
—Brad Hoopes, author of Reflections of Our Gentle Warriors

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