Book excerpt: From the authors of The New York Times bestsellers Empty Bottles Full of Stories and Falling Toward the Moon comes a brand-new collection of compelling poetry and prose. There's a harshness in the air; the season is changing its colors. The rain is chilled, icy to the touch, and the sky, filled with melancholy. Your search for warmth has brought you here; you starve for something profound. You require something that will resonate with your soul. Despite how cold, you're determined to grow. And with these words, you bloom, a winter rose.