Looking ahead to Three Gifts

Three Gifts, coming in 2011

Kyle watched her pull out of the parking lot and head toward Rivers Street, disappearing to the right as he climbed the steps to the restaurant where he downed the last of his beer. The others were standing to leave and he was glad to be leaving too. Where was that robust and energetic young college man that would just be getting started on his weekend? He thought this with a smile to himself, knowing that guy was back in another world and probably wouldn't be seen again, especially after the baby came. A tug of concern made him more anxious to get in his car and meet Chelsea at home.

He was the first to get in the car after seeing Tom and Liz to the parking lot and bidding Lauren another Happy Birthday, the first of many twenty-ninths, they'd joked. He followed Chelsea's path out of the lot and turned his music up, putting down windows for the ride home. Now the sky was his favorite shade of horizon blue afther the dusk had descended as he drove close by the river on the winding road toward home. He was beat! The work of the two projects was catching up with him. He had not seen the inside of a gym since before the wedding. At least he was running.

The curves in the road grew deeper as he climbed the mountain before the last descent before his cabin road. As he wove around a tight curve he saw a deer on the opposite side of the road, sitting, stunned and wide-eyed as if it had just been hit. A large man with gray hair and a cigarette dangling from his mouth had pulled over and was loping back toward the spot Kyle had just passed. The poor guy had probably hit the doe and was going to help, for whatever good it would do. Kyle's dad would have been itching to pull out his rifle, put the animal out of its misery, and then throw it in the back of his truck for dinner. He shook his head, remembering those days.

In a few minutes he was pulling into the drive and stopped short as his headlights illuminated the empty parking spot in front of the cabin. Chelsea's car should have been there. Had she stopped off to pick up something at the store? She hadn't mentioned it. A sickening feeling swept over him and he jammed the Range Rover into reverse and gunned it back out onto the road. If she had been the one to hit the deer then where was her car? Panic slammed against the walls of his stomach and he felt his leg vibrating oddly as he tried to hold it steady in order to drive back to the site of the deer. His phone played on the dash where he had tossed it as usual.

He looked quickly at the screen while tearing around the curves. "Glen?" he shouted urgently into the phone.


"There is a Celtic saying that heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in the thin places that distance is even smaller."

Newlyweds Kyle and Chelsea Davis return from their honeymoon consummated and rejuvenated, ready to take the world by the tail. They have both made sacrifices to be together, returning to Kyle's father's cabin to live in the mountains of North Carolina. Stuart Davis' ominous presence makes itself known immediately, haunting Kyle, making him question his own life choices. How much of his father is truly in him, and how much can he fight the commonalities? Meanwhile, Chelsea learns quickly that her life is not falling into place as easily as she'd predicted, driving doubts and fears into everything she believes, even her connection with Kyle. Life in the adult world is challenging enough without the unexpected surprises they both encounter as a couple. Will the true love they think they deserve be possible for them?

Three Gifts is a story of growing together, finding strength and ultimately faith in the character-building experiences Kyle and Chelsea endure together in this tale that returns the readers to the mountains and to Kyle's "thin place" with the woman he loves. Told alternatively from each of the couple's perspectives, readers will experience both sides of their story. As the third installment of the trilogy beginning with The One, Three Gifts brings back the original cast of characters, grown up now, and facing life head-on in this enigmatic love story.

June 19, 2011

So much has happened since the last entry. Being out for summer break I should be able to stay on top of new developments. Next year at this time I will be retired and can keep this blog current!

Second Time's a Charm was released on April 28, 2011 and to date about 147 copies have been sold. Last year at this time no books had been sold, but The One has exceeded 700 copies in circulation, so I am very happy with my "Johnny Appleseed" campaign. Thanks to my husband Mike, who has sold many copies for me in several states, the marketing strategy has extended to the "Flat Stanley" approach as well! I think The One is in about six states, maybe more! My daughters, Jessica and Shelby have done their part to promote the books, and all of you who are reading this blog have helped in your way as well, so to you all I am grateful for your continued interest and enthusiasm. Get ready for Three Gifts to appear in cyberspace around November of 2011. It will make a good Christmas gift as it ends at Christmastime!

Events:


July 5, Tuesday from 2-5 pm Book signing at Black Bear Books at Boone Mall

August 1, Monday from 2-4 pm Book signing at Sam and Omie's Restaurant in Nags Head, NC

August 4, Thursday from 9-11 am Book signing at Duck's Cottage Books in Duck, NC

August 4, from 5-7 pm at Page After Page Book Store in Elizabeth City, NC


Check my website: http://www.theonenovel.com/ for book reviews, testimonials, ordering information, and an interview about how the trilogy got started.

The One and Second Time's a Charm are both available in e-book format on Amazon.com for Kindle and Barnes and Noble on Nook.