By the Light of the Fireflies

A big-hearted coming-of-age debut about a tiger, a Russian, a dead dad, a model airplane, and a bewildered twelve-year-old boy just trying to find his place in the world.

It’s 1981 in Texarkana, Texas, and Noah Ellis is trying hard to remember. Still reeling from the loss of his father in a tragic drowning, Noah is in an accident of his own--one that ends with a local boy dead, a tiger on the loose, and Noah in the hospital with severe amnesia.

After that fateful day, everything changes. Noah becomes the key witness in a highly publicized court case. Local girls start to notice him and the kids who once bullied him accept him into their pack--at a cost. And rather than being the kid brother to his big brother Jack, now Noah’s got a baby sister he’s responsible for. But Noah’s still stuck on that day--the accident he can’t remember, and the boy he’ll never see again.

As town secrets come to light and summer comes to a close, Noah’s got to figure out what to do with all that grief.

Raised on radio, Lee Sanders is a Fort Worth based Texas author who likes to write from the hip. His passions include guitars, grilling, and golf, although he’s not afraid of perusing a classic novel or catching a football game. Lee lives in Fort Worth with his wife, Zina, and their two daughters, Emilia and Caroline. He was born and raised in Texarkana and graduated with a degree in History from East Texas State.