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The
Gift Counselor
Gift
Counselor Book 1
by
Sheila M. Cronin
Genre:
Holiday Romance
Do
all gifts have strings attached?
Yes,
believes Jonquil Bloom and she intends to prove it. She's a
psychologist who uses her skills in a department store to help
shoppers of all ages become good gift givers. Yet, her ten-year-old
son wants a dog she won’t let him have.
Enter
the handsome bachelor who is ready to settle down.
A
timeless mix of romance, family drama, psychological and
inspirational breakthroughs, all served with humor, this story will
warm your heart year round.
Later that evening as she tucked Billy into bed after listening to his prayers, he asked, “Mom? How will the kids get along without you?”
She tried to assure him that the staff at Children’s Home would take good care of the residents, but he persisted.
“Yeah, but they aren’t like you. You have the gift.”
“What gift?”
“You know, your teacher told you the night of our Halloween party when we were all in the kitchen. He said you have the gift. What did he mean?”
Jonquil sat down on the side of his bed, stroked his soft, sandy-colored buzz cut and saw her reflection in his grayish-blue eyes.
“Well, Billy, it’s an expression adults use when someone is naturally good at something, like playing piano or doing their job. It’s something God gives each of us to share with others. Sometimes if we’re lucky, it becomes our work.
“Maybe Dr. Paxton meant that I seem to know how to help kids with problems. Not everyone does.” She never felt quite as self-conscious talking about her skills as with this precious and precocious child.
Billy sat up in bed all excited. “He was right, Mom! Remember that skinny girl who wouldn’t eat?”
Jonquil thought back on her caseload of the past summer and recalled a shy, black adolescent in the early stages of anorexia. “You mean Luella?”
“That’s the one. Luella’s back in school ’cause of you. And Tommy didn’t even talk till you helped him to.”
Tommy Cregier. With a pang, she remembered telling him good bye.
“Why, Billy Bloom, when I started this work, I thought you were jealous of these other kids in my life.”
“Aw, I got over that. Besides, we’re a team, right?”
“Right.”
“So, since every team needs a mascot, can we get a dog? Please, Mom?”
She was annoyed, partly because, even though he’d had dinner at his favorite restaurant and a trip to the movies on a school night, he wanted more, like all kids do. He also knew the subject of dogs was taboo with her.
Winner of Beverly Hills Book Award,
shortlisted for the UK Wishing Shelf Book Award.
The
Gift Counselor is suitable for young adults. Book club recommended.
**Only
.99 cents!! **
Sheila
M. Cronin is the author of the Gift Counselor novels. Her stories
have appeared in Woman's World Magazine, Good Old Days Magazine, The
Golden Domer--online publication of the University of Notre Dame, and
Spark Magazine.
AWARD
NEWS: Winner of the Beverly Hills Book Award. Shortlisted for the UK
Wishing Shelf Book Award. 2018 1st prize: The Joy Story Contest. 2nd
place winner, Beneath the Rainbow Christmas Short Story Contest. 2019
Chicago winner of Alignable's SmallBiz Short Story Contest. Poetry
Nation semi-finalist, National Amateur Poetry Contest.
Writing
fiction, painting portraits and composing songs on piano are her
favorite "cre-activities" next to reading a good book.
$15
Amazon giftcard – 1 winner,
ebook
of Heart Shaped II-- a collection of 20 short stories – 5 winners
1 comment:
This is a pretty cover. It makes me think that the stories are sweet and yummy.
quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
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