Every day around the globe there are billions of acts of kindness, courage, generosity, and grace, but we rarely get to hear much about them. It’s easier to write about the evil in the world than about the good. Writers who focus on violence, greed, ugliness, and hypocrisy can appear more sophisticated, more intelligent, more mature, more aware of the world's true nature. Roland Merullo recognizes these challenges to humankind as clearly as anyone, but he also believes they get more than their share of coverage, and that cargo of bad news can act as an oppressive weight on the mind. At the start of a recent gray, cold, New England winter, Merullo decided to make a list of some of the remarkable acts he has witnessed, and the generous, kind, and brave people he has had the good fortune to know. Moments of Grace and Beauty: Forty Stories of Kindness, Courage, and Generosity in a Troubled World is intended to serve as a counterweight to the abundance of trouble in the news, and is offered as evidence of the good will still present on earth. "A love story quite unlike any I've ever read. There is heft and angst, love and doubt, believable (and tasteful) sex and quite possibly one of the most breathtaking endings to a tale of love that will leave you wanting to read every other book this writer has written." -- Cecilia Galante "The Wilkes Barre Times Reader" "An utterly charming, beautifully told, completely affecting story...Merullo writes graceful and polished prose ...A wonderful story ...that leaves the reader believing that we are not just "isolated pockets of warmth," and that real love and human connection are still possible in the 21st century." -- Jay Kenny "The Bloomsbury Review" "Merullo has a graceful way with dialogue. ...For all its sadness, his narrative is never maudlin; for all its familiarity, it's never trite. No tears are jerked in the delivery of this solidly satisfying romance, whose author is something of a Houdini in the art of escaping banality." -- Donna Rifkind "Washington Post" "Merullo once again shows his gift for drawing characters ...They breathe from the page. Told with humor, warmth, and good sex. ...Fresh, never predictable. He has a great ear and eye for humanity. You find yourself caring about these people and about how their story will end. And that is not a little thing at all." -- Rita Giordano "Knight Ridder Newspapers" "The characters are people of intelligence and real feeling. ...You care about them ...Merullo does a gorgeous job of rendering naked emotion." -- Joan Wickersham "Boston Globe" "Thoughtful, restrained (yet very sexy) ." -- Maggie Galehouse "New York Times Book Review" ON THE PLUS SIDE, three monthly essays on various topics, plus his regular monthly newsletter. To subscribe and begin receiving the essays in your email every Tuesday, go to RolandMerullo.com. The newsletter includes announcements of book groups and appearances, giveaways, bits of Merullo's past published writing, and a 'greeting' from the author that is often personal musing on current events and the writing life. Roland Merullo is the author of twenty-four books of fiction and non-fiction, that range from suspense novels (Fidel's Last Days, A Russian Requiem, Revere Beach Boulevard, The Return) to love stories (A Little Love Story, The Talk-Funny Girl, Leaving Losapas) to golf and travel books (Golfing with God, Passion for Golf, The Italian Summer, Taking the Kids to Italy) to humorous spiritual road trips (Breakfast with Buddha, Lunch with Buddha, Dinner with Buddha, The Delight of Being Ordinary, Golfing with God, American Savior). His books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and been translated across the globe, from China to Brazil, from Korea to Croatia, and he has been the recipient of numerous awards (see below). Much in demand as a speaker, Merullo has given informal talks, commencement, and convocation speeches at colleges and universities in New England, California, Florida, North Carolina, Minnesota, and Nebraska, as well as at open-minded churches of various denominations and hundreds of libraries, schools, and community organizations. His latest novel, Once Night Falls, will be published on December 1, 2019. The book was selected as a November pick by Amazon First Read's editors who called the novel "Both epic and intimate in its portrayal of World War II Italy." They continued by saying, "Merullo expertly illuminates the war's devastation of the country and its culture. ...So immediate, it plunges the reader into this harrowing time, making the story--and the chapter of history--feel intensely personal. ...The book is unflinching in its portrayal of wartime turmoil. Yet heroism and hopefulness drive these characters. Once Night Falls is a page-turning, propulsive read, and the stakes are always incredibly high. But it is the characters--and the powerful lessons they bestow--that make this is a truly unforgettable story." Moments of Grace and Beauty: Forty Sto