Thursday, February 26, 2026

Rhythm & Design - The Rhythm & Design Series #1 - Contemporary Romance - and a Giveaway #Romance #ContemporaryRomance #Giveaway

Long Temple is here to tell us about Rhythm & Design, The Rhythm & Design Series #1, contemporary romance.

There's also a great giveaway.
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Rhythm and Design
Long Temple
(The Rhythm and Design Series, #1)
Publication date: May 18th 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

A soulful architect. A gospel-rooted musician. A love built to last.
Rhythm and Design: A Platinum Chocolate Romance is a powerful story of purpose, passion, and divine timing.

Claire Baldwin is used to building beauty from structure—dreaming in blueprints, raised among silver spoons and Ivy League expectations. Focused, brilliant, and untouchable, love was never part of the plan. Until one almost-mistake in her youth taught her the price of giving too much to someone who offered too little.

Oliver Jamison Graham, the son of a revered pastor, walked away from the pulpit and into the chaos of the music industry. Between neon stages and lonely hotel rooms, he searched for something sacred—something real. Music filled his nights, but his faith kept whispering him home.

When Claire and Oliver’s paths collide again, it isn’t just chemistry—it’s destiny. But building a life together means facing the unspoken: the pasts they’ve tucked away, the faith they’re still figuring out, and the families who’ve prayed them into purpose.

Together, they’ll navigate ambition, intimacy, trust, and spiritual alignment in a romance steeped in grace, humor, and honest love. Can two people from different rhythms create a design strong enough to stand?

If you love later-in-life second chances, clean-but-steamy romance, emotional depth, and characters who wrestle with faith as fiercely as they fall in love—Rhythm and Design will leave you breathless and blessed.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT

Claire adjusted the delicate strap of her silver gown, her fingers brushing the smooth satin as laughter and music drifted through the warm summer air. The garden shimmered beneath strands of soft white lights, each glow reflecting off crystal glasses and polished silver like tiny promises suspended in time.

Tonight was meant to be simple — a celebration, a farewell, a graceful closing of one chapter before she stepped into the life she had so carefully designed.

But life, she was learning, rarely followed clean lines.

She felt it before she saw him — a subtle shift in the atmosphere, like the hush that falls just before the first note of a song.

Oliver Graham stood near the stage, tall and steady, dressed in black that seemed to absorb the light around him. He carried himself with an ease that wasn’t practiced, just lived — the quiet confidence of a man who had known both applause and solitude, who understood the weight of purpose even in celebration.

Claire’s breath caught, surprising her.

It had been years, yet something about him felt familiar, like a melody she’d heard long ago but never fully released.

As if sensing her gaze, Oliver turned. Their eyes met across the veranda, and the world seemed to narrow to that single moment — music fading, conversations dissolving into a distant hum.

He didn’t smile right away. He simply looked at her, as though taking in the woman she had become, measuring something deeper than appearance.

Then came the slow curve of a knowing smile.

Heat crept up Claire’s neck, and she looked away, steadying herself with a sip of champagne that suddenly felt warmer than it should.

Moments later, his voice — smooth and rich — settled beside her like velvet.

“You’ve grown into everything they said you would,” he said softly. “Your parents couldn’t stop talking about you. Yale. Full scholarship. Future architect of the century.”

Claire laughed lightly, surprised by the warmth in his tone. “They said all that?”

“They should’ve said more,” he replied. “Yale’s lucky to have you.”

Something in her chest softened — a quiet recognition she hadn’t expected, like a door opening somewhere deep within her carefully guarded heart.

The music shifted, laughter swelling around them, but Claire felt as though she were standing inside a pocket of stillness.

“And you?” she asked. “Still changing the world one song at a time?”

Oliver smiled, a hint of humility softening his features. “Trying to. Mostly just trying to stay honest.”

Honest. The word lingered between them like a promise neither had spoken aloud.

When Oliver later stepped onto the stage, the crowd quieted instinctively, drawn to the calm gravity he carried. He adjusted the microphone, glanced toward Claire, and said, “I wrote this for tonight. It’s called Beyond the Horizon.”

The first notes drifted into the night like a prayer — tender guitar, soft percussion, a melody that seemed to breathe with its own quiet life.

Claire stood still as the lyrics wrapped around her, each word reflecting pieces of her journey — the late nights bent over drafting tables, the silent prayers whispered into the dark when doubt tried to settle in, the relentless pull toward something greater than comfort.

The road is wide, but your steps are sure, drawn to purpose, built to endure…

Her fingers tightened slightly around her glass as emotion rose unexpectedly, catching in her throat. She had spent so many years building strength, focusing forward, refusing distraction — yet here she was, undone by a song that seemed to see her more clearly than she saw herself.

Oliver’s voice carried warmth and depth, every note grounded in sincerity. When their eyes met mid-song, something unspoken passed between them — not a spark, but a steady flame, quiet and certain.

By the final note, silence lingered for a breath before applause rose like a wave across the garden. Claire barely heard it. Her hand rested lightly against her chest, as if holding something fragile and new.

Later, when the music shifted into a softer groove and guests drifted toward the dance floor, Oliver found her again near the edge of the veranda.

“You okay?” he asked gently.

Claire nodded, a small smile touching her lips. “I am now.”

They stood close, not touching, yet aware of each other in a way that felt both new and strangely familiar.

“I’m heading to New Haven tomorrow,” she said quietly. “Three weeks early. I want time to settle in… start fresh.”

Oliver’s expression softened, admiration flickering in his eyes. “That sounds exactly like you. Always building the next chapter before anyone else even sees the blueprint.”

She laughed softly. “You expected anything less?”

“Not a chance,” he said. “You’re building your future with intention. That’s rare.”

The music swelled around them, couples swaying beneath the lights, laughter rising into the warm night air.

For a moment, neither spoke. The silence wasn’t awkward — it felt full, like a pause meant to be savored.

“Don’t disappear on me,” Oliver said finally, a hint of playfulness in his tone.

Claire raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to Yale, not Mars.”

He laughed, then handed her his phone. “Still. Just in case I feel like sending musical inspiration.”

She entered her number, her fingers brushing his briefly, a small spark of awareness passing between them.

As he stepped back into the crowd, Claire watched him go, the night humming with possibility.

For the first time since she began mapping out her future, she allowed herself to consider that maybe life wasn’t only about structure and certainty.

Maybe it was also about rhythm.

About unexpected harmonies.

About moments that couldn’t be planned — only felt.

And as she looked up at the stars scattered across the velvet sky, Claire felt something shift quietly inside her.

The future she was building suddenly felt wider.

Not just a design.

But a song.


Author Bio:

LongTemple is a contemporary Black romance author and visual storyteller whose work is rooted in emotional truth, spiritual reflection, and the resilience of love shaped by lived experience. Her stories explore pain, struggle, faith, healing, and the quiet triumph of choosing connection again—especially later in life, when love carries history and meaning.

Born and raised on New York City’s vibrant Lower East Side, LongTemple writes with a voice shaped by culture, memory, and survival. Her storytelling carries a musical cadence—sometimes aching, sometimes soaring—always grounded in honesty and soul. She centers grown, layered characters who confront grief, betrayal, forgiveness, and hope, and who discover that love, when chosen with intention, can still be transformative.

She is the creator of the Platinum Chocolate Romance Universe, a body of interconnected contemporary romance and women’s fiction that celebrates mature Black love and second chances. Each novel is paired with a companion adult-themed line art coloring book, offering readers a reflective, immersive experience that extends the story beyond the page and invites creative engagement alongside emotional connection.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / Facebook


GIVEAWAY!

Rhythm and Design Blitz




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Wednesday, February 25, 2026

To Climb a Distant Mountain - A Daughter's Tribute to Her Diabetic Mother - Historical True Memoir - and a Giveaway #Memoir #Tribute #Diabetes #Giveaway

Laurisa White Reyes is here to tell us about To Climb a Distant Mountain, a daughter's tribute to her diabetic mother - a historical true memoir.

There's also a great giveaway.

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One woman's inspirational tale about expressing joy amid loss and suffering.


To Climb a Distant Mountain:

A Daughter’s Tribute to Her Diabetic Mother

by Laurisa White Reyes

Genre: Historical True Memoir



In 1974, at the age of twenty-six, Cynthia Ball White was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. Today, it is estimated that 1.25 million Americans suffer from what is now referred to as Type I diabetes, compared to 38 million who have Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes. It is a merciless disease that often leads to blindness, neuropathy, amputations, and a host of other ailments, including a shortened life span.

Despite battling diabetes for forty-five years, Cyndi beat the odds. Not only did she outlive the average Type I diabetic, but until her last week of life in 2021, she had all her “parts intact”. Her daughter often called her a walking miracle. But more impressive was Cyndi’s positive outlook on life, even in the midst of tremendous loss and suffering.

The author hopes that in sharing Cyndi’s story, others may be inspired to face their own struggles with the same faith, courage, and joy as her mother did.

 

Amazon * B&N * Bookbub * Goodreads




Growing up watching my mom suffer from neuropathy, glaucoma (damage to the eyes), and occasional insulin reactions and hospitalizations took its toll on me. Concern for my mother’s life was my constant companion.

One day, after I had walked the two miles home from school, I entered my unusually quiet house. Normally at that time, I’d come home to find Mom bustling about, but not today. I called for her but received no response. Finally, I stepped into her bedroom. The drapes were drawn, and the room was dark as night. Mom lay on her bed on her stomach, face turned against her pillow, an arm drooping over the side of the bed. For a moment, a spasm of fear shot through me. Was Mom dead? I stood frozen in place for what felt an eternity, though it was mere seconds before Mom stirred, waking from her nap. She noticed me, smiled, and asked how school was. I never told her what I’d thought, or how deeply that flash of fear traumatized me.

I remember one evening when we were all sitting around the dining table for dinner. The mood was lighthearted, relaxed, and we were all just gabbing about things and sharing jokes. My dad had a good one: “What do you find up an elephant’s trunk?” He paused, then answered, “An eight-foot booger!”

We all laughed, including Mom. But as most of our laughter died down, Mom’s didn’t. She kept on laughing. In fact, she couldn’t stop. Seeing her so consumed by laughter was funnier than the joke, and the rest of us continued laughing—at her. Mom was laughing so hard that tears fell down her cheeks. Then Dad realized what was happening.

Diabetics, when their glucose levels drop dangerously low, are often mistaken for being drunk. Some act belligerently, as depicted by Julia Roberts in the film Steel Magnolias. Others become “tipsy”, slurring their speech or becoming unbalanced. Still others are the “friendly” drunks, overly cheerful and humorous.

Another sign of a diabetic reaction is when the patient slows down. Long ago, there was a popular TV commercial with the Energizer Bunny. As its batteries died, the toy moved slower and slower until it finally stopped. Like a wind-up clock losing time, or that bunny decelerating, that’s what it was like for Mom as her glucose levels dropped, and that’s how Dad knew Mom was in danger. Mom could not control her laughter, and then her batteries started to die.

Dad did not even stop to test her blood. He ran for the kitchen and hurriedly poured a glass of orange juice, a constant staple in our house, then coaxed Mom to drink it. It wasn’t easy. She couldn’t focus on what needed to be done, to open her lips and swallow—all between ever-weakening guffaws. If Dad had hesitated even one more minute, she would have lost consciousness, been unable to drink the juice, and would have needed an ambulance. We knew. We’d seen it happen before. Fortunately, Dad saved the day—like he always did and always would. My dad is a real-life Superman.

As a family, we continued to retell that incident for decades. Repeating Dad’s joke always elicited chuckles from us all, including Mom, but in reality, it was one of many, many too close for comfort moments in our lives.

 

  



Last Summer in Algonac

by Laurisa White Reyes

Genre: Fictionalized Family Biography



From the Spark Award-winning author of The Storytellers & Petals...

The summer of 1938 is idyllic for fourteen-year-old Dorothy Ann Reid. She’s spent every summer of her life visiting her grandparent’s home on the banks of the St. Clair River in Algonac, Michigan. But unbeknownst to her, this will be her last. As Dorothy and her family pass their time swimming, fishing, and boating, they are blissfully unaware that tragedy lurks just around the corner.

Last Summer in Algonac is a fictionalized account of the author’s grandmother and her family’s final summer before her father’s suicide, which altered their lives forever. Inspired by real people and events, Laurisa Reyes has woven threads of truth with imagination, creating a “what if” tale. No one living today knows the details leading to Bertram Reid’s death, but thanks to decades of letters, personal interviews, historical research, and a visit to Algonac, Reyes attempts to resolve unanswered questions, and provide solace and closure to the Reid family at last.

 

Amazon * B&N * Bookbub * Goodreads




We all noticed the silver Cadillac when it first turned onto our street. Sleek and shiny as a brand new silver dollar. But when it parked in front of the house, even the men laid down their hands to look.

The driver’s side door opened, and out stepped a short, squat woman with hair all white, curled and set to perfection. She wore round silver spectacles on her nose and a lilac dress. She shut the car door with a confident slam and perched her fists on her hips, taking in several deep breaths.

“Well, I’m here now,” she said with a self-assured grin. “Which one of you fellers gonna fetch my luggage from the trunk?”

I felt Mother stiffen beside me and noted her fingers tighten around her lemonade. There was a distinctive moment of hesitation before she set down her glass on the stand beside her and stood, smoothing down her dress.

“Mother,” she said, giving Father ‘the look’ before heading down the steps to greet our unexpected visitor.

Father elbowed Charles, who then leapt up from his chair and bounded off the porch to the car. “Hello Grandma,” he said, planting a kiss on the older woman’s cheek.

Father took his time leaving the table, but also made his way to the car and kissed his mother-in-law.

Clara was born in 1864 in Henrietta, Ohio. Christened Clara Petronella Peabody, a name I’ve always been fond of, she was the seventh of thirteen children. “Smack dab in the middle,” I’d heard her say. She’d married her first of three husbands, Charles Noble, in 1882 and had three children, of whom Mother was the youngest. Her third husband’s name was Pratt, so even though they weren’t together anymore, we often called her Grandma Pratt.

In my favorite photo of her, taken later in the 1940s, she posed alongside her favorite dog and wore a full-length fur coat. She looked absolutely regal.

“Is that my little Dottie?” said Clara, coming up the porch steps. I flew into her outstretched arms and allowed her to swallow me in a tight embrace. She kissed the top of my head, then held me out from her by my shoulders.

“All grown up, I see,” she said happily. “Sprouted a good foot or two since I last seen you.”

“Grandma, I just saw you at Christmas!”

“I know it. I know it, but you look so darn tall these days, and ladylike. What have you been feeding this child, Dorothy May?”

Mother forced a smile. “She eats the same as everyone else,” she said. Charles lugged Clara’s two carpet bags into the house.

“I take it you’re planning on staying here with us?” asked Mother.

“Just give me the sofa,” said Clara. “I’m only staying for a few days. I just come from your sister Leila Grace’s in Mount Pleasant. Stayed on a few weeks there. And I promised to spend the 4th with your brother’s widow, Lillian. Now that Frederick Jr. has gotten married, she’s all alone in that big old house of hers. Might as well we two ladies spend some time together.”

Clara spotted the card table and the two men sitting at it.

“John. Harry. Nice to see you both.”

“You two, Clara,” they both drawled.

“What are you playing?”

“Five Card Draw,” said John.

There was an uncomfortable silence as Clara regarded each man through narrowed eyes. “Got room for one more?” she asked.

John and Harry looked at each other, then shrugged and scooted their chairs closer together.

“Charles!” Clara called into the house. “Bring out another chair, and one of them cold glasses of lemonade.”

  




Laurisa White Reyes is the author of twenty-one books, including the SCBWI Spark Award-winning novel The Storytellers and the Spark Honor recipient Petals. She is also the Senior Editor at Skyrocket Press and an English instructor at College of the Canyons in Southern California. Her next release, a non-fiction book on the Old Testament, will be released in August 2026 with Cedar Fort Publishing.

 

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Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Critters and Crimes - Magical Cozy Mystery Book Club #11 - Paranormal Cozy Mystery - and a Giveaway #Mystery #CozyMystery #ParanormalCozyMystery #Giveaway

Elizabeth Pantley is here to tell us about Critters and Crimes, Magical Cozy Mystery Book Club #11, a paranormal cozy mystery.

There's also a great giveaway.

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A quaint riverside town holds many secrets ... 

and the only ones who’ve seen it all are the critters.


Critters and Crimes

Magical Cozy Mystery Book Club #11

by Elizabeth Pantley

Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery 



A quaint riverside town holds many secrets ... and the only ones who’ve seen it all are the critters.

This book club dives (literally!) into the pages of a cozy mystery. The quirky group must solve the mystery to get out of the book. It’s so much fun - you’ll wish you had a book club like this!

In this journey, they choose a book set in a lovely riverside town. They land in a charming neighborhood and find they are part of a local book club. They are having a great time – and then a dead body shows up. (Of course it does!)

The clues to what happened come to them in a unique way – via the critters in the house.

As usual, the club finds plenty of time to enjoy the unique setting of their journey, as they solve the mystery – one critter at a time.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


This book is part of a magical cozy mystery series of 11 books and growing.

Each book can be read as a standalone, but are much more fun in order.

Available in eBook, paperback, Kindle Unlimited, and audiobook.

 

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads






Chapter 1

“Hey!” Frank shouted the word as he landed with a thump on the deck right in front of me.

“Ack!” I jumped and grabbed the pillow beside me for protection. I nearly fell off the porch swing. “Don’t do that!”

Frank snickered. His tail flicked back and forth and his ears twitched.

“You startled me!”

“Really? It was so hard to tell.” He snorted with laughter.

I peeked from behind the pillow and shook a finger at him. “Bad cat!”

That just made him laugh harder. He rolled over on his back and waved his paws in the air.

He looked so silly that I relaxed and began to laugh, too.

“Good morning to you,” I said, as I smoothed out the pillow that had been my so-called protection.

Frank finally caught his breath and sat up. “What’cha doing out here all alone, Paige-o-roonie?”

“I was having a quiet, reflective morning. Did you catch the definitive word there? I ‘was’ having a quiet morning.”

“Are you implying that I interrupted you?”

“Not implying. Stating a fact.”

“For good reason.” He chuckled. “I see you have some coffee there.” He pointed his nose at my cup. “Want to go get this kitty a bowlful?” He crossed his front feet, tipped his head to the side and widened his eyes. Then to up his cuteness quotient, he batted his lashes. “Please?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” I laughed, getting up from the swing. “I’ll be right back.”

I went into the kitchen to exchange my coffee for a cup of tea. Frank had jump started my heart, so I didn’t need any more caffeine. I fixed Frank a bowl of his favorite morning beverage: half-coffee, half-creamer. Any normal cat would be sick from the brew, but our magical library cat was not anything resembling normal.

The house was quiet as I grabbed our drinks and returned to the porch. I set Frank’s bowl on the table and sat on the swing. I took a big sip from my cup.

Frank took a leap over to the table and inhaled the aroma wafting from his bowl. He slurped greedily then gave a moan of delight. He tipped his head at me. “What were these reflective thoughts that I interrupted?”

I tapped a finger to my lips in thought, and glanced at my book, which lay quietly on the table beside me. For once, I didn’t have my nose in a cozy mystery. Instead, I had been rocking back and forth on the porch swing, enjoying the sounds of the birds and the quiet whisper of the wind through the trees as I had let my mind wander, until Frank had disrupted me.

“I’d been cycling through many topics, one after the other.”

“Maybe you were clearing your mind’s way for the upcoming new book adventure?”

“That’s probably true. Once we get inside a book, I won’t have time to ponder anything but the mystery we need to solve.”

 



Don’t miss the rest of the series!

Find them on Amazon

 

Join Elizabeth’s mailing list and get a free book from her Magical Cozy Mystery Book Club series! https://elizabethpantleyauthor.com/mailing-list



Elizabeth Pantley is a bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction books. She writes two well-loved cozy mystery series: The Magical Mystery Book Club, and the Destiny Falls Mystery and Magic series. She has also written the international bestselling No-Cry Solution parenting book series that is available in over twenty languages.

Elizabeth lives in the majestic Pacific Northwest and spends winters in the sunny desert of Arizona. While neither location is home to any paranormal beings (that she knows of) the vastly different yet equally lovely locations are the inspiration for the settings in many of her books.

 

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 


Follow the tour HERE for special content and a $20 giveaway!


Enter the Critters and Crimes Giveaway Here!




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Monday, February 23, 2026

I'll Be Seeing You - Time Travel Second Chance Romance #Romance #TimeTravel #HistoricalFiction #WWIILoveStory #PNR

Jana Richards is here to tell us about I'll Be Seeing You, a time travel second chance romance, WWII love story, and historical fiction.

Read on for details... 

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Genre: Time Travel Second Chance Romance

Themes: Time travel, angels and Heaven, second chance at love

Release Date: March 1, 2026

| Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA |

| Goodreads | BookBub |


Excerpt:

A group of drunken British airmen crowded into the cloakroom just ahead of Frank. Whoops of laughter sounded from inside the room.

             “Henderson, you sly boots! And all this time you told us the two of you were only friends! What a lark!”

            Frank entered the cloakroom just as Claire passionately kissed Charles Henderson. He stared at them in utter devastation. When Gabriel glanced at old Frank on the bed, he saw the same devastation on his face and, for a moment, Gabriel experienced remorse for making him relive it. But he hardened his heart. He had a job to do, and he couldn’t let sympathy for Frank get in his way.

            The drunken airmen stumbled their way out of the cloakroom, laughing and hooting as they went. Frank waited until they were gone before speaking. “Claire, what’s going on?”

            She broke free from Henderson. “Frank? What are you doing here? You said you couldn’t get leave.”

            “I believed you.” His face was full of pain and incredulity. “You said you loved me, and I believed you. You said Henderson was just a childhood friend, and I believed that, too. But no more.” He turned to leave.

            She grabbed his arm and whispered urgently, “No! Frank please! It’s not how it looks!”

            Frank shook off her hand. “Really? Because what it looks like right now is that you made a fool of me.”

            “Frank, please!”

            Frank hurried from the cloakroom and out of the recreation hall.


Interview with Gabriel Daniels, Main Character in I’LL BE SEEING YOU

Author, Jana Richards: Hello, Gabriel. Thank you for meeting with me.

Gabriel Daniels: Can we get on with this interview, or inquisition, or whatever it is?

JR: All right. Tell me about yourself. Do you have a family? Children?

GD: (gives a long-suffering sigh) As you well know, I don’t have children. My family consists of my mother and my younger brother Josh.

JR: Are you married?

GD: No.

JR: In a relationship?

GD: (hesitates) No.

JR: Are you sure?

GD: (glares at Jana) You know damn well Sloane broke up with me the day I….

JR: The day you went to Heaven and became an apprentice angel? Tell me about that.

GD: (sighs again) We were supposed to go to a gala, a fancy fund-raising thing. I went to pick Sloane up and she told me she didn’t want to see me anymore.

JR: So that’s why you’re wearing a tuxedo. Why did Sloane break up with you?

GD: She said I didn’t share anything about my life, or my feelings with her, that I was too closed off. She wanted more than I could give.

JR: Did you love her?

GD: (mumbles) Yes.

JR: Did you tell her you loved her?

GD: (looks away) No.

JR: Why not?

GD: I couldn’t, okay? I’ve never told anyone I love them.

JR: Not even your mother or brother?

GD: No.

JR: Interesting. Let’s get back to your arrival in Heaven. What happened?

GD: Actually, it was a waiting room next door to Heaven. After I left Sloane’s apartment, I was angry. I drove too fast on an icy road and crashed my car. When I woke up, I was in this weird, white room. The only way out was through a door that opened up into a meadow of flowers. I could see out the door, but a force field kept me locked inside the room. I couldn’t break through.

JR: So how did you finally get out?

GD: Thomas arrived. He’s a senior angel, and my mentor. He’s the one who told me I was now an apprentice angel and I was next door to Heaven. He said if I wanted to earn my wings, I’d have to give three mortals a second chance at love. I didn’t believe him at first. It was crazy.

JR: It does sound crazy.

GD: But it was the only explanation. And Thomas could do things.

JR: Like what?

GD: For a start, he walked straight through the force field with no problem. And he had angel wings big enough to reach the ceiling of the waiting room. But what convinced me was that Thomas could read my thoughts. He knows exactly what I’m feeling, what I’m thinking. It’s pretty unnerving.

JR: So he tells you that if you give these three mortals a second chance at love, you’ll get to go to Heaven?

GD: Right. Thomas promises that if I succeed in my tasks, I’ll get special perks. I’ll be able to watch over my family back on Earth. It’s absolutely imperative that I’m able to do that.

JR: Why is that?

GD: My family…has issues. Both my mother and my brother are bipolar. I’ve been looking out for them all my life. There’s no way they can manage without me!

JR: I see. And Sloane? You said you loved her. Do you want to watch over her, too?

GD: (looks away) Yeah, I want to watch over her, too. Knowing I’ll be able to help Sloane and my family makes the Hell I’m going through worthwhile.

JR: What do you mean?

GD: As a condition of entering Heaven, Thomas is making me examine all my mistakes, with life and with love. I have to relive every stupid, painful thing I ever did. Every terrible event of my life.

JR: That sounds tough.

GD: Yeah. I can’t help wondering…

JR: Yes?

GD: Why didn’t I get a second chance? (rises to his feet) Time for me to get back to work. If you see Sloane, can you tell her…

JR: What?

GD: Never mind. Bye, Jana. (walks away)


About the Author:


When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal.

When not writing up a storm or dealing with dust bunnies, Jana can be found pursuing hobbies such as golf (which she plays very badly) or reading (which she does much better).

Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren and a senior calico cat named Layla. You can reach her through her website at http://www.janarichards.com

Social Media Links:

Website:  http://www.janarichards.com

Blog:  https://www.janarichards.com/blog

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janarichards155/

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards

Amazon UK Author Page:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B002DEVWWG

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