Announcing The Signal Between Us

A novel about family love and recovery by Griffin Wells and Ashley Rovira

I’m thrilled to share some exciting news: one Mr. Wells and I have co-authored a new work of contemporary fiction, The Signal Between Us: A Father/Daughter Discovery Story. I’m filing this one in “Life Stories” because, well, it’s a pretty big deal and, therefore, constitutes one of those threshold moments in life.

At its heart, this novel follows noir writer Jeff Griffin as he stumbles—nineteen years late—into the difficult art of listening to his own heart. For a man who’s spent his adult life in a tightly controlled world of silence, connection doesn’t come easy. But fatherhood forces him to stop running, to stay put, and to begin translating the static into something more human.

This book is the first in the **Signal Series**, a collaboration between Wells and myself. (Yes—“Wells” is a pseudonym, chosen in homage to H.G. Wells and to Griffin, the invisible man at the heart of {one of} Jeff’s favorite novels. Truth is, Jeff is totally books of all kinds. In fact, he wanted to be a playwright like Tennessee Williams, but when that didn’t pan out, he decided to become a writer of noir fiction. He wrote eight books in a whole series around Detective Blackthorn, a sinister fellow who roams the French Quarter at night, often in pursuit, or being pursued by an array of alluring femmes fatales. More about that soon at the

Griffin Wells

substack!)

Like life itself, The Signal Between Us isn’t light reading. Jeff’s drinking problem, and another character’s battles with panic attacks, push the story into raw territory. Because of that, we’ve included two content notices in the text: one for alcohol abuse and one for mental health struggles. These depictions are fictional, crafted for character and story—not for guidance, endorsement, or instruction. Please don’t mistake them for medical advice.

The novel also highlights the power of communication beyond words: Jeff is fluent in sign language, and his closest friend, Theo Arceneaux, is deaf. Their bond underscores one of the book’s central themes—learning to listen differently, and to catch the signals that matter most.

All in all, we are both very excited about launching this book, and we’re not stopping with this one. The sequel, The Signal Dividing Us: A Second Chance Romance, about Jeff and his daughter’s mom, is already in production. We believe that readers will keep rooting for Jeff, flaws and all, because his heart is always in the right place. He keeps fighting (and stumbling, and then fighting again) not just for himself but for the people he loves. Fatherhood gives him a reason to get up every morning and keep catching signals. It’s not a perfect life, but it’s theirs—and it’s what keeps him going.