Running Strong

Races are won in the turns. Can the same be said of love?

Flannery Moore rides motocross bikes and can't remember the last time she wore a dress. At age fifteen, she fell in love with one of her riding friends. Since then, her love for Tyler has simmered, languished, and sometimes festered. Although nothing else could maker her do so, Flannery decides to change her tomboy self into the kind of girl Tyler might fall for.

Fresh out of one bad relationship, Tyler Dorset isn't eager to risk ruining his friendship with Flannery. Besides, his dreams of a future in the spotlight could take him far away from their sleepy, safe town of Bentley, North Carolina. Will Flannery understand how a well-played guitar solo can move his soul?

When Flannery's mother is diagnosed with cancer, and Tyler's parents push him toward a more respectable career path, both teens feel their futures are being taken out of their hands. Can becoming more than friends save them both? Or will the looming life turns pull them apart? To stay true to themselves, they must decide between running away... or running strong.

Diana L. Sharples is an award-winning author and artist whose own battle with cancer inspired the core conflict of this story. Running Strong is the stand-alone sequel to her debut novel, Running Lean.