Book excerpt: More than 250,000 readers made this the No. 1 best selling ebook in Germany 2016.Now finally available in English, too! A story of deep love. A story of trust, courage, pain, despair, and the strength to let go. A true story. Jessica has an uncomplicated life and a promising future. Leaving the house one evening, she has no idea that she's about to meet the love of her life - and that her entire understanding of the world is about to change. Before long, she's going to face a decision that will shape her forever ... In So Near the Horizon, Jessica Koch describes a life lived somewhere between hope and fear, confronting true events from her own past with raw honesty and frank reflection - and exploring more than one difficult subject along the way. Reading sample (...) "Why?" I tried to meet his eyes, but he shut them, avoiding my gaze. His fingernails dug into the skin on his bare arms, and he pursed his lips grimly.Slowly, I scooted toward him. "Talk to me, Danny, please," I said, trying to pry one of his arms loose. But the more I tugged, the more rigidly he kept them crossed against his body as he shrank away from me as far as he could inside the cramped car. For a moment, I was afraid he would simply get out and walk away.Too close, a voice whispered inside me. You're much too close to him!I let go of his arm so I could slide back into my seat, and he relaxed almost instantly. He took several deep, slow breaths before opening his eyes and blinking at me through his long lashes."You know why," he whispered. "And someday I'll tell you myself. I promise. Be patient with me." About the author Jessica Koch was born in Ludwigsburg, Germany, and began writing short stories when she was still in high school - but never submitted her work to publishers. Shortly after finishing school, she met Danny, a German-American dual citizen. Her experiences with him eventually formed the basis for So Near the Horizon, though it was nearly thirteen years before she felt ready to bring the manuscript to the public.The author describes a life lived somewhere between hope and fear, between optimism and despair. She reflects on events from her own past with raw honesty, confronting more than one difficult subject along the way. Jessica Koch's dramatic debut novel, Dem Horizont so nah (So Near the Horizon), broke every record when it hit stores in Germany. Released in 2016 through a small, independent publishing house, the e-book was an instant success, selling over 250,000 copies in just a few months and topping the Amazon bestseller list for more than six weeks - which made it the number-one bestselling German-language ebook of 2016!Since then, one of Germany's largest publishing houses has purchased the rights to this riveting and highly emotional memoir. The foreign rights have been picked up in numerous countries, and the feature film is scheduled to arrive in theaters at the end of 2018. Jessica Koch lives near the city of Stuttgart with her husband, their son, and two dogs. The second and third books in the trilogy, So Near the Abyss and So Near the Ocean, are already best-sellers in Germany as well.