Some publishing projects begin with a formal proposal. For Blue Box Press, Lucky 22 (Sept. 8) and Just Enough (Sept. 8) began with a conversation between neighbors. Ashley and David Eckstein live in the same Orlando, Fla., neighborhood as Blue Box cofounders Liz Berry and Jillian Green eld Stein. During a casual chat, David, a former Major League Baseball player and World Series MVP, mentioned a memoir he had been considering writing with his friend Jake Gronsky. Their story of faith, resilience, perseverance, and love immediately felt like a natural t for the publisher’s list. As the group talked more, one thing became clear: at the heart of David’s memoir was an incredible love story—his and Ashley’s.

That realization sparked an idea. What if Ashley—the voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars and the founder of the fashion and lifestyle brand Her Universe—wrote a fictionalized version of their romance, and Blue Box released the two books together as a companion set? The Ecksteins loved the concept, and with New York Times bestselling romance author Samantha Chase joining the project, the vision came together.

The result is two books, one unforgettable love story, and a publishing journey born from friendship, family, and heart.

David’s book, Just Enough, chronicles the obstacles he overcame to become a professional baseball player, among them being repeatedly told that he was too small to make it as a professional. Ashley, whose book Lucky 22 is a romance about a struggling actress who falls for a professional baseball player, said her husband’s title has been more than a decade in the making. “After David retired from Major League Baseball in 2010, I told him that he needed to share his story,” she explained. “Fans think they know the story of the short shortstop who overcame the odds to win two World Series Championships and become the 2006 World Series MVP…but they truly have no idea about everything he went through to make his dreams come true. I believe this is one of the greatest underdog stories that has yet to be told, and I am so excited for the world to be inspired by it.”

David, who described the book as a story of “family, faith, and never giving up on yourself or your dreams,” said the key to his journey was connecting with Gronsky, an author and former Minor League Baseball player who helped David find his voice.

For Ashley, Lucky 22 was more unexpected. “Everyone has always told us that the story of how David and I met and fell in love should be turned into a Hallmark movie,” she said. With that in mind, she approached Berry and Stein, whose Blue Box Press is known for publishing romance, to do just that.

Dubbing the joint pub date as a “his and hers release,” Ashley said the final product is “inspired by our love story, and actually about 90% true!”

The books will also allow the couple an opportunity to give back even more than they already have. Kidney disease runs in David’s family and in 2007, he started an association with Mid-America Transplant (a nonpro t that supports organ dona tion) to do a campaign to raise aware ness about organ donation. David has been working with the organization ever since, and the couple’s book tour will be done in collaboration with the nonpro t. With plans to begin the tour in the couple’s hometown of Orlando, Fla., and make numerous stops—among them in Arizona, California, Missouri, and Tennessee—the couple is excited about getting on the road, sharing their respective stories, and meeting fans.