I entered the first portion in my first book in a contest so I will have to skip excerpts from the first portion for a bit. Later on, I’ll post excerpts from the beginning.
For now, I wanted to show those who stop by what my book is all about.
I hope you enjoy. Leave a comment/or email me, please tell me what you think.
Excerpt from Chapter 5: Second Chances
“I requested a week off from work and they granted it. So, I’m taking the week of Christmas off to visit Mom.”
She glared at him, wanting to shrink and hide inside her coat and beanie—or get out, slam the door and never look back.
Sensing her apprehension, he reached for her arm to stop her. “Don’t get out—please, stay and listen.”
“No,”
“I am worried about leaving you alone for a whole week.” His words rushed out as if he were afraid she would leave before he could finish the conversation.
“I’m a grown woman!”
“It’s not that. Obviously, you can take care of yourself. I worry about your safety. This isn’t the safest part of town.”
“We’ve never had any problems before.” She folded her arms under her chest.
“Mom wants to see you.” he persisted.
“I don’t want to see her,” she grumbled.
“Lacey—it’s Christmas.”
“I don’t care.”
“Come on, Lacey—how can you stand to be alone on Christmas? I don’t want you to be alone. It’s a special holiday and you know it, even if you don’t believe in Jesus’ birth.”
“If you don’t want me to be alone, then why did you request the time off? You obviously decided in advance that you wanted to go out of town for Christmas. And I know you probably assumed I would not agree to go with you.” He let go of her arm and stared down at his hat, folding it and unfolding it, his face downcast.
“I was really hoping you’d consider coming with me for once.” I can’t believe he put me in this corner! “Mom misses you. When is the last time you’ve talked to her? It’s not like Dad will be there—“
A spark of anger flared up, coming from somewhere deep within, bringing with it hot tears. She stormed from the car before Joel could stop her; finding her keys, she unlocked the door and rushed inside. Hiding in her room, she slammed her things down on her desk and lay on her bed, letting her tears fall freely
Why did you have to bring all this up, Joel!
Why did he have to cheat and then leave? Why did she let him leave? How could you let our family fall apart? Why couldn’t you forgive him like you forgave that stupid kid for running over Amy? How can you call yourself a Christian, forgive someone we don’t even know, but refuse to reconcile with Dad?
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If you haven’t yet, please check out Upcoming Releases to read the synopsis.
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Enjoyed the excerpt! Thank you for participating in Christian Fiction Friday! I hope to read more of this story.
Thank you! This is encouraging to me. I am excited that I found your blog hop and I have really enjoyed reading yours and others’ excerpts. Also, I LOVED the excerpt from A Harmony for Steve. I actually have been rough drafting a similar idea about a lead singer who goes through a lot of health problems, but that draft is very rough and on the back burner right now, as I have 3 other book projects in the forefront.
Off to read the synopsis.
Questions, questions and more questions! This inquiring mind wants to read more! 🙂
Thank you! This is very encouraging 🙂 I will post another excerpt from chapter 5 next week. I chose this excerpt because it highlights the struggles that Lacey goes through for most of the book. 🙂
Sounds like you are tackling some heavy issues. I think we need more books that explore difficult parental relationships.
Thanks!