Six-year-old Jaxon disappeared. He's found ten years later.

The boy’s family races to the hospital to see him, but they are shocked at the sight. The bubbly youngster has been replaced by a scarred and emaciated teen. As they bridge the lost years and rebuild their bonds, they must wrestle with their own guilt and demons.

Fearing other children are at risk, the sheriff follows the clues deep into the Great Smoky Mountains. He finds half-buried secrets, a twisted family, and his own missed opportunities. When he peels back the last layer of the mystery, the revelation shakes everyone.

Jaxon dreamed for years is to be with his family. Has too much happened or can he find his way home?

Jaxon with an X is an emotionally charged standalone literary fiction novel. If you like rural settings, broken families learning to heal, and stories of personal endurance, you’ll love D.K. Wall’s absorbing tale.

Excerpt: Jaxon with an X

Try Before You Buy

Browsing in a bookstore, a book catches your attention. Maybe it was the title. Perhaps the cover drew you in. Curious, you open to the first chapter and read the opening lines:

I never knew the world could be so damned cold.

Back there, where I’m from, the stone walls chilled bones, the broken windows let rain puddle, and the uneven floor tripped feet and invited stubbed toes. But at least those walls provided protection from biting winds, pelting sleet, and piles of snow and ice.

Out here, though, I’m exposed. The wind whips through the holes in my clothing. The icy snow slips under my shirt and slides down my back. The sleet stings my face.

But I’m free.

A fair trade as far as I’m concerned.

Intrigued, you take the book to a comfortable chair, settle in and read a few chapters. If it’s compelling, you’ll take it to the register. If not, you’ll put it back on the shelf and move to the next one. After all, life's too short to read books you don't enjoy.

Why shouldn’t the buying experience work the same in the digital age?

I understand. You don't know me. You haven't read one of my books. You're deciding whether Jaxon with an X will be worth your time and money. To tempt you, I'm offering a FREE sample of the first five chapters. You can download it to your Kindle, Nook, or any other e-reader. You may also read it directly on your computer.

If you enjoy it, I hope that you will purchase the book to find out the rest of the story.

If not? I thank you anyway for taking the time and effort to give the story a try.

No matter what you decide, I wish you Happy Reading!

P.S. Providing your email address for this free sample does NOT subscribe you to my monthly newsletter or anything else (though you're always welcome to join). I will let you know when I release a new book, but that's it. You can even unsubscribe from that whenever you want, including right after you download the sample. Why do I make it so easy? Because I hate spam as much as you do.

 Empathy, compassion, forgiveness and hope. There is a light at the end of the dark, twisting tunnel, and the book has a very satisfying ending.  

 A secret so intense, it took me four days to process, before I was able to pick up the book again.  

 I loved this book and I hope someone grabs it up to turn it into a movie!  

 Gut wrenching, heartbreaking tale of horror and survival, of quiet strength and determination, of perversity and a bond of love created out of desperation.  

 This is my first book by this author but it won't be my last.