Dealmaker

Hailed as “a coming of age story for the ages,” and “a must read for anyone who has ever felt ashamed for taking a non-traditional path,” Dealmaker offers a glimpse into a world few visit and even fewer escape unscathed.

Jaime Konzelman was a precocious teen with a bright future. Emotionally young, flying through credits at North Carolina State University, she was barely eighteen. A zoology major on target for early graduation, her sights were set on veterinary school. Her mission? Research with a dream of saving the world’s endangered animal species. She was hungry for knowledge with a passion for big ideas, and a thirst for adventure. A free-spirited ball of energy. But hiding behind crystal blue eyes and a contagious smile was an emptiness desperate for fulfillment. An aching pain that knew no release. She was a lost soul; strong on the outside, but oh-so-fragile underneath.She ran to NC State with secret idealizations of turning older half-siblings living in the Carolinas into best friends—a fantasy that existed only in her dreams. Her parents supported early high school graduation in hopes that college with a larger student population and scholarly professors would help their daughter who was unchallenged academically, not to mention a complete social misfit. When her roommates pledged sororities and she found herself alone in the dorms for the fourth Friday in a row, she knew college would be no better.The hairline cracks in her foundation for operating in life would soon spider; life as she knew it would crumble. She was a young girl in a woman’s body, trapped by fear and suffering in silence. Add to all that, a precocious personality with more than a bit of disdain for authority, youthful naiveté and a lab TA whose husband had an affinity for corrupting unsuspecting ingénues … well, it’s no surprise she found her way to the dark side. Perhaps, the true surprise is what happens after dark in a world known to consume most— when an unassuming teen takes the stage and the DJ’s voice echoes: “Cocktails on the table, and hands together for Jaime Lynne.”