Bücher von Laura Otis

Julia Martens has a rich, powerful voice that could make her one of the world's finest altos. Ever since she met the brilliant yet erratic conductor, Arno Weber, during her first audition in a church basement in Berlin, his insistent fingers have been shaping her sound. Now Handel's "Refiner's Fire" has become his obsession. Unfortunately during last two years, Julia has disappointed him with her inability to correctly sing every note of the challenging aria.As a single, working mother of two-year-old Bettina, Julia is doing her best to balance her life while rejecting the father's attempts to control Bettina's care. But everything changes one night while she is rehearsing the aria and Bettina tumbles out their fifth-floor apartment window onto the courtyard below. Suddenly with Julia's competence as a mother in question, Bettina's grandmother sues for custody. Refusing to relinquish her daughter or her music, Julia fights to retain what is rightfully hers. As she is led through her memories and into a new chapter where nothing is certain, Julia must somehow find a way to pursue her dreams while fulfilling her duties as a mother.Refiner's Fire is the tale of a gifted alto and single mother living in Berlin as she struggles to balance her daughter's needs with her passion for music.

Ginny has already survived more than most people. Abused as a child, she now lives an isolated life as a housekeeper at the Run-Rite Inn in a small Texas town. Her closest bonds are with the rooms she cleans, which she attempts to protect from abusive guests. The inn's devoted manager, Jake, who knows every hinge on every door and the personality of every room, encourages Ginny to think beyond dusting, vacuuming, and scrubbing. But little does she know that he has dreams beyond what the inn provides and will do just about anything to make them come true.When Ginny sees signs that human traffickers are using the inn, she struggles with her intense fear of people. As she begins to suspect that Jake is involved with the illegal operation, she hesitates to intervene, tempted by higher-paying work. But then a shocking discovery brings her face-to-face with her own past, leaving her with no choice but to act-even if it means turning against Jake.Clean is the gripping story of an abused housekeeper who must overcome her inner fears to help women held at a cheap motel by human traffickers.