The Hand You're Dealt: A Urban College #Romance by Quan Williams

Quan Williams was born and raised in Flint, MI, and has always had a love for stories. His earliest inspirations come from having his 2nd-grade teacher read classic stories like The Hobbit, Charlotte’s Web, and Winnie The Pooh to him in class. Around that time, his parents supported his appetite for fiction by subscribing him to the Star Wars comic book series. A chance encounter with a ripped up Batman comic book on the way home from school (of which he collected all of the loose pages, took them home, and put them together in order) prompted Quan to shift from consuming stories to creating them.

Quan honed his writing craft at the University of Michigan, where he studied creative writing under the tutelage of novelists Jonis Agee (Strange Angels, South of Resurrection) and Tish O’Dowd Ezekiel (Floaters). He also found time to write and illustrate three comic books and work as an entertainment journalist for the Michigan Daily Newspaper for three years. It is while in college that Quan gained a passion for gaming, and sought to ply his talents co-creating the rules and design for Transformers Battlecards, a trading card game based on the popular toy franchise. This game was eventually opted by Hasbro and turned into Beast Wars: The Mutating Card Game.

Since graduating, Quan has jumped at every opportunity to bring his wild ideas to life. He wrote the short story “That Weird Kid” which was published by The web magazine Storiesthatlift.com, before writing the young adult novel The Leopard Man. He created, designed and self-published the Organized Crime-based card game Syndicate: The Underworld and took third place in a worldwide online fantasy short story contest. He wrote, illustrated and programmed two webcomics, one of which (The Seizure) was collected and published as a trade paperback. He wrote the business/family melodrama Double Entry which was published by Red Rose Publishing. His sci-fi horror novel, Godmode, was recently picked up by Necro Publications. and King Jewel Publications has published The Hand You're Dealt, a literary love story set between his Alma Mater in Ann Arbor and the city of Detroit.

Quan is currently seeking representation for two fantasy novels he has just completed; one being an Urban "Indiana Jones"-styled Fantasy Thriller, and the other the first entry of a High Fantasy Epic trilogy.

When he is not creating, he enjoys the company of his loved ones, whether it be playing card games with his wife, or playing Magic: the Gathering with his brother, or talking about the craft of writing with his Godsister, or discussing Comic Books, Sports and Pro Wrestling with friends. He loves working with children and strives to teach them and encourage them to express themselves creatively and pursue their dreams, no matter how far-fetched others might think they are.

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About the Book

Jay is an ambitious, charismatic college student actively looking for love in Ann Arbor, MI. He is undeterred by past failures, and eventually finds Tika, a tough but beautiful coed with a big heart and an explosive temper. They meet, bond and grow their relationship over monthly games of spades with their eclectic circle of friends. Their love is put to the test early and often during their college years, and the tests get even tougher after they graduate. Jay lives in Detroit, and deals with the disillusionment and disappointment of dreams deferred while selling vacuum cleaners – and his blood – to pay escalating bills. Tika supports his now fragile ego as he desperately searches for a better job, but she has problems of her own: namely, coming to terms with the sudden appearance of a father who had been absent for her entire life, along with the dark family secrets his return dredges up. Tika's father makes Jay an offer he can't refuse, but Jay turns it down and infuriates Tika by not telling her why. This could be the one obstacle their time-tested love can't overcome and may send Tika moving back to her beloved Chicago without her soon-to-be EX-boyfriend.

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