Sneak Peak

So, now we're back to the 22nd of July for the release date, and that's Monday! Yikes!!

This feels a little like sending my baby off to kindergarten on the first day of school. I worry about every detail. Will the other kids like her? Or will they make fun of her? Is she wearing the right clothes or will people misjudge this book by its cover (and, therefore, her mother who dresses her funny?!) Is she ready to go out into the world, or should I keep her to myself for a while longer?

The truth is, not everyone will like this novel, but I hope many of you will. This is a story about finding hope and courage in the midst of our greatest fears. It seeks an answer to that frequently asked question: Why must good people suffer?

This is a story of breaking and healing. It's a story about relationships--those that sustain us and those that can destroy us. It's about putting others ahead of ourselves and learning that in becoming the people others need us to be, we become the people we are destined to be.

Earnest Hemingway said this, "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are stronger at the broken places." This story reminds us that sometimes we must break in order to become stronger and more complex.

So, here's a little preview from chapter 1. It's like kindergarten round-up...we'll get a taste of school...maybe make a friend or two and cross our fingers that if we do encounter some bullies, they are the illiterate types who don't write reviews! :)

From Chapter One: Nicole

     I woke up this morning to a brilliant blue October sky framed in golden leaves and stark white Aspen branches with a plan--a simple pattern. Adam promised an anniversary surprise to commemorate our fourteen years together. He promised Emma one last trail ride before we pack up tomorrow to go home ahead of the winter storm. He promised to be back by nine, so I could take the truck into town for my final lesson at Maggie's glass shop.
     But sometimes promises break. Sometimes our plans shatter for reasons we don't understand, and the patterns we choose for our lives change without our consent.
     "My husband's missing." I try to sound rational, but hysteria creeps into my voice.
     "What is your location, ma'am?" The dispatch officer sounds far too calm. Didn't she hear me? My husband is gone...