Return to Me

by Ericka Clay

Hellie Garmin is a struggling writer whose only friend in the world is her younger brother, Brent. She lives a strange and secluded life, observing rather than living, and therefore, has no real "plot" to draw from when writing "The Great American Novel." One day, when following a stray cat that she creates an entire storyline around, she ends up at a small church. She thinks it's kismet, that the gods are shining down on her, and she stumbles in, thinking it would make for a great story. But what she gets is a crash course in human nature and the power of God working in the most unlikely of circumstances.

46 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 24, 2026

About the author

Download my books for free: https://erickaclay.com

Ericka Clay is a traditionally published novelist and poet formerly represented by Robyn Russell.

She graduated from the University of Arkansas Creative Writing department and is the author of several books including her latest novel, A Bird Alone.

Ericka has been awarded several times by Writer's Digest for various short fiction pieces. She has written four novels (one of which placed as a quarter-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest) and has had her work featured in literary journals like Ruminate and Rock and Sling.

Ericka lives in Northwest Arkansas with her husband, daughter, two rats (yes, you read that correctly) and an insatiable need to push buttons, both figuratively and literally.