Nathan Erskine never planned to teach-nor did he expect to encounter one particularly trying student and quit in his first year. Despite his doubts, Nathan's classroom would become the unlikely stage for a destiny far larger than he could imagine.

Matthew Beckham prided himself on being the bad boy, until a punishing military academy broke him down and a summer with his eccentric family built him back up.

And then there's Roderick Bastrop, a troubled young man who burst into an elementary school with a rifle and a plan-only to be met by Esther Evans, who saw in him not a monster, but the boy he still might be.

Years later, the lives of Nathan, Matthew, and Roderick will collide in ways none of them could have foreseen-testing the courage, convictions, and faith they share through their Southern upbringings.

Jim Boatwright is a teacher with experience in schools as diverse as an exclusive private preparatory academy and an inner-city school plagued with violence, drugs, and poverty. He draws from this wide-ranging experience to create stories that celebrate the resilience of the human spirit and the unwavering belief that every person deserves to be heard. Jim holds bachelor's and master's degrees in music education and has done postgraduate studies in music education. His musical compositions have been performed in several states.Born into a loquacious, loud family in rural South Carolina, Jim grew up hearing wildly exaggerated and animated tales of adventures and misadventures, told with wide eyes and breathless narration. It was only natural that he would grow up to be a storyteller. As a first-time novelist, Jim's approach is fresh and insightful. Many incidents in Unintended Consequences are based on his actual experiences.