My name is Avery King and I'm probably a lot like you. I'm a 34-year-old single lesbian and my heart belongs to my rescued mutt, Steve. I work as a graphic designer and my life is quiet and comfortable. All in all, I'm a pretty regular girl and for the most part, I lead a pretty regular life.

Things I look forward to: baking goodies and then sharing them; spending time with my grandmother; reading anything I can get my hands on; enjoying dinner with my friends; a quiet evening and a glass of wine; hiking new trails and exploring nature with Steve. Things I'd like to avoid at all costs: in-depth discussions with my ex; dealing with children; online dating; babysitting; falling for somebody's mom; taking my perception of myself all the way back to square one.

See that list of things I'd like to avoid? Yeah, guess who's going to hit every single one of them this year... What happens when your life takes an unexpected turn? What happens when you need to protect the one you love from the one you want to love? What happens when you lose something you never knew you wanted?

Lambda and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning author Georgia Beers brings to you her long-awaited seventh novel, Starting from Scratch, a story where learning, laughing, loving, and baked goods are just a few of life's basic ingredients.

Starting from Scratch...where life is what you make it.