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In Hearth, the Earth-like afterlife of those who have died untimely deaths, young Holocaust victims have come of age and Martin Luther King, Jr. still preaches. Theresa, a young runaway who uses a wheelchair, is given refuge by Jamie and his husband Gabe. Jamie has severe, debilitating asthma, and he bonds with Theresa through their shared experience of disability. Though Jamie is intent upon sheltering Theresa from those who would use her, he finds himself unable to protect her when she chooses to take part in a risky plot to save the city from destruction. As the years pass, Jamie struggles with worsening health and a husband who clings to the status quo. He raises adopted children, explores gender identity, and strives for spiritual purity, always haunted by the memory of a girl whose cosmic destiny will bring Earth and Hearth into a new age of peace. Read the first five chapters at http://www.earlierheavenbook.com