Sharp as Ink

“Darkly funny, wry, and deep…a layered smart thrill ride of ambition, romance, deception, and justice.”
 —Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of She Was Never Here

Jayne is an aspiring writer, struggling to make a name for herself, when she meets an enigmatic man who offers her the inspiration that will change everything. But what's the true cost of a happily-ever after?  A wickedly sharp novel about ambition, reinvention, and the unsettling ironies of the stories we tell others, and ourselves, from New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister.

Jayne grew up as the cherished darling of a Melville scholar, able to quote passages of classic literature at will, determined to be an intellectual like her father. But after a traumatic incident vaults her out of grad school—and shatters her illusions about her family—she ends up working as a barista. Determined to make more of her life, she starts writing but is unable to find a market for her work.  
 
At the coffee shop, she meets Edward, a rich and ruggedly handsome diamond consultant who changes her life. He believes in her and her books, gives her diamonds that inspire her to create new heroines and write new, more popular love stories. Suddenly successful in love and in life, Jayne finds that she has everything she has always dreamed of.  
 
But is everything as it seems? Is anything?
 
A novel of shocking twists, biting humor, and Erica Bauermeister’s signature lyricism and heart, Sharp as Ink is a deliciously unpredictable story that will keep readers guessing all the way to its outrageous and deeply satisfying conclusion.