Roberto Candelaria is a writer of intimate fiction whose work explores faith, identity, longing, and the quiet conflicts that shape the inner life. His stories linger in moments of tension-where belief and desire meet, where silence speaks loudly, and where the heart wrestles with questions that have no easy answers. Rather than offering conclusions, his writing invites reflection and compassion.This book is Roberto's first, written from years of inward searching and lived experience. He has loved Christ his entire life, and that love has remained even through seasons of confusion and pain. His faith has never been abstract or distant; it has been personal, tested, and often carried alongside unanswered questions.At the center of this work is the struggle of being gay while loving Christ-a crossroads that brought deep inner conflict about identity, obedience, and what it means to live rightly before God. That tension led him into periods of isolation, substance use, and self-destructive choices as he tried to quiet the pain he could not yet name. At his lowest point, that struggle resulted in a suicide attempt-an expression not of a desire to die, but of not knowing how to keep living with the weight he carried.What followed was not a sudden resolution, but a slow return. Roberto fell, and he stood again. He questioned, and he returned to Christ and to the promise of grace that had never left him. These experiences shape the emotional honesty of his writing. Though the stories in this book are fictional, the feelings beneath them-conflict, despair, hope, and endurance-are deeply real.Now living in North Carolina, Roberto continues to write with humility and intention. He believes stories can give language to pain and companionship to those walking difficult paths. It is his hope that this book might help someone who recognizes themselves in these pages-especially those struggling with faith, sexuality, addiction, or despair-feel less alone. If these stories offer even one reader understanding, comfort, or the strength to keep going, then the book has served its purpose.