Missed Conceptions: A Novel

by Michelle De Leon

This page-turning contemporary romance introduces a smart and savvy heroine whom readers will cheer on as she struggles to find meaning and fulfillment along the rocky road to happiness...and discovers that love can thrive in the most unexpected places.

In Missed Conceptions, Michelle De Leon tells a poignant and captivating tale of love, friendship, and what it means to be a parent.

The owner of a successful café in Harlem, Shanneen Ross has attained one of her two life objectives. Now she's ready for a meaningful relationship, and a change of scenery sounds like the perfect plan. In Atlanta to help her cousin open a café of her own, Shanneen meets an attractive ex-marine named Jeroi Black. When their whirlwind affair results in pregnancy, Shanneen is delighted. Especially when Jeroi pops the question. Now all that's left is to meet Shanneen's family. But a disturbing revelation awaits them both at her uncle Solomon's house.

Shanneen returns to New York, where she meets Sebastian Lew, a gifted artist who is about to become a father. When tragedy frees Sebastian from an unhealthy relationship, he and Shanneen try to make a go of it in the face of daunting obstacles. But Jeroi is waiting in the shadows, ready to destroy Shanneen's hard-won happiness. It will take courage, faith, and a lot of love for Shanneen and Sebastian to overcome the odds in this moving, sensual, and always surprising story of what it really takes to build a family.

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 2003

About the author

Born in The Bronx, Michelle De Leon graduated from the City College of New York with a Bachelor's in English/Creative Writing in 1989. In love with writing since her elementary school days, De Leon was a student in the Performing Arts Class at P.S. 85 where she penned her first short story and first full length play.

It would be many years before her art took a professional turn. In 2000, De Leon self-published her first novel, Once Upon a Family Tree. In 2002, bestselling author Zane offered her a contract with her newly founded company, Strebor Books International. In 2003, Missed Conceptions was the first release. In 2004, Love to the Third and Once Upon a Family Tree were published. Strebor Books International eventually became an imprint under the Simon & Schuster umbrella and they still have the rights to these works today.

In 2009, De Leon released Broken Bands of Gold: Restoring the Covenant on her own. It is her first non-fiction book and is an Inspirational guide and a personal testimonial about standing with Jesus for marriage restoration. It is available via CreateSpace.com and Amazon.com. She also wrote Inspirational novel We Never Danced to a Love Psalm and Young Adult novel Evangie's Fortune which are both currently available as Kindle books at Amazon.com.

An avid reader from the beginning, De Leon became interested in writing as a way of expressing her ideas and sharing her imagination. After four novels, a collection of novellas and one non-fiction piece, she has turned her attention and talents towards playwriting. She has written Like a Psalm Out of Tune which is based on the novel We Never Danced of a Love Psalm. She is also working on 3 Bethel's Way; an Inspirational sequel to the super sensual novella Love to the Third.

A Christian who believes her God given talent should be used to advance the Kingdom, she is developing a ministry play based on the Word she received while composing Broken Bands of Gold.

Never one to get bogged down and/or pigeon holed into one genre, Michelle De Leon hopes one day to excel as a screenwriter. Or whatever else her heart desires.

Reviews

[Terriyah Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

ELA9/Characterization
Shannen is a very strong woman. She is put through many trials and trigulations and she some how makes it through them. She is at a low point in some times and shows that she can be put down. In some parts of the story Shannen lets her low self asteem show but overshadows it when she is brought up by friends and family. She is very pretty according to the text and is concidered a 'man stealer'.

[Chivon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very fast read. Intrigueing story. Very unique storyline. I thought it was good.