Finding Jesús

Finding Jesus
A Novel by Joe Schipani
After losing his husband to cancer, Mark Henderson no longer recognizes the life he's living. Grief has left him isolated, emotionally adrift, and unable to imagine loving anyone again. Hoping to escape the memories that haunt him, he accepts a teaching position in Oaxaca, Mexico, intending only to survive one year before returning home.
Instead, he meets Jesús.
Jesús Morales owns Café Luz, a neighborhood café that has become the heart of its community. Gentle, compassionate, and quietly confident, Jesús has spent years creating a place where everyone belongs. Drawn together over morning coffee and unhurried conversations, the two men slowly build a friendship that neither expects to become something deeper.
As Mark is welcomed into Jesús's world, he discovers the beauty of Oaxaca through its traditions, celebrations, food, music, and close-knit community. More importantly, he discovers what he has been missing since his husband's death: connection. Surrounded by people who choose one another as family, Mark begins to believe that grief and joy can exist side by side and that opening his heart again is not a betrayal of the past but an act of hope.
Their growing love is tested by lingering fears, painful memories, and difficult choices about where and with whom their futures truly belong. Both men must decide whether they are willing to risk heartbreak again for the possibility of lasting happiness.
Rich with warmth, humor, and emotional honesty, Finding Jesus is an LGBTQ+ literary romance about second chances, healing after profound loss, and the transformative power of chosen family. Set against the colorful streets and timeless traditions of Oaxaca, the novel celebrates queer love that is mature, authentic, and deeply rooted in community.
At its heart, Finding Jesus asks a simple but universal question: after losing the person you believed was your forever, can you find the courage to love again?