AN UNEXPECTED GIFT

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An Unexpected Gift 

by
Krista Grayce 

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction 

Publication Date: November 25, 2019

Janie Nolan’s future had never been more uncertain, she was just learning to live with the loss of her mother from cancer, she suddenly finds herself jobless after an unexpected diagnosis with autism at the age of fifty-five. The thought of moving back to her childhood home in the idyllic town of Cape May, New Jersey to assess her future is a daunting proposal. It is in that sleepy shore town that she must reconnect with her abusive father. Now ailing, he has handed over control of the family business, a failing small theater, as a possible means for a fresh start. However, Janie is uncertain as to what his true motives might be.

Alec Ryan, a handsome, former intern of her father’s and now a successful Broadway producer and director arrives from New York carrying his own tumultuous past with plans to assist Janie in restoring the theater to its former glory. Along the way, Alec discovers qualities in Janie that prove she is more than just her diagnosis and resolves to help restore Janie as well, simultaneously putting his own demons to rest and learning to love again.

But when the small town gossip mill begins to buzz about Alec and a piece of jewelry left by her mother is revealed, Janie learns of a secret that may take things in another direction could change the course of her life forever. 

Seagulls were calling her outside the windows. Their cries welcomed Janie home. She felt she could not rest in that house without hearing their voices high in the morning breeze outside. They were brazen and never shut up. She could relate to that; they were her kind of bird. Their sharp squawks soothed her as they always did. The Cape May beach, light from the lighthouse, and those crazy birds, was all she needed to remain calm and content.

"The way I see it, Alec, forgiveness is letting go of all negative emotions and memories; it’s moving on with whatever goodness remains. For years I had punished myself, feeling that if I forgave more, then he would love me and accept me, and I would have more friends, but the truth was, it was never in the cards or in God’s plan. Forgiveness was the life lesson that the Lord wanted me to learn."

Janie felt her heart start to speed up. Adrenaline flooded her system as if on an IV. She thought her heart was going to explode. Her eyes widened trying to focus despite the neon and fluorescent lights. Janie wanted to either run for the hills or crawl under a table. Instead, she stayed close to Alec who was unaware of her current predicament. She wanted desperately to suppress the hammering in her chest, but any attempt would be futile. Janie was overwhelmed and her skin felt clammy and cold. The noise in the pub seemed to be getting louder and louder, leading to humming and buzzing in her ears and drowning out her own thoughts. She placed her hands over her ears and closed her eyes tightly. She began to hyperventilate and moved her hands to her throat to relieve the tightness that was developing there. It was then that Alec took notice.

"Janie, are you okay?"

"NO, NO… I have to go, I have to go, I am so sorry!" Janie turned and ran out the door.

What Alec saw when he really looked at Janie, was that despite shutting off her emotions for self-protection, she was still working on saving, helping, and loving others... in a way that was enhanced by her apparent lack of emotions. Whether it was called autism, or Asperger’s, if people couldn't see her immeasurable love for others then they were truly blind.

The Cape May shore was a graceful sweep of sand, glittering under the spring sun. This was where the placid ocean came to rest. The waves rolled in with a soothing sound. The beachgoers walked along the crest of the dry and wet sand, picking up the seashells that lay every few feet or so. These shells were treasures of an aquatic world just out of reach. The footprints they left behind were soon erased. The sun was high at noon and getting warmer. The aroma of sea air mixed with the smell of fudge coming from the stores on the promenade was as fragrant as it always was and brought back some very comforting memories.

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Krista Grayce, Author

HI! Just to tell you a bit about myself, I have lived in Seattle, WA most of my life. However, I was raised in New York and spent summers in Cape May, NJ. Most of my work is set on the beaches and beach towns of the Jersey Shore. I wrote my first novel when I was thirteen years old and continued to write poetry and short stories for the following years. I have had articles and papers published as well as photographs that were published in a book entitled "Rock and Roll Memorabilia II". 

I hold an AA degree in Business Management. I never obtained a degree in Literary Arts or Writing per se but I feel I come by my writing talent organically as William Shakespeare is my 1st cousin 12 times removed. 

"An Unexpected Gift" is my debut novel. Like Janie, the main character in the novel, I was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism at the age of forty-eight. However, I am proud to share this diagnosis with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Emily Dickenson as well as many others. I see my autism as a gift from God. It has given me a high intellect and innate talent that I use as a tool to enlighten the rest of the world to the plight of adults with autism. 

Like many people on the spectrum, I never married or had children which is sadly my greatest regret. I currently live with my wonderful sister Kendra and my three cats Tyler, Tabitha and Teddy in Spokane, WA. I am planning to move back to the New Jersey Shore as soon as possible. 

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PUPPY LOVE BY KELLY MORAN -- REDWOOD RIDGE SERIES

PUPPY LOVE

by Kelly Moran

Pub. Date: 2/28/2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance

After a passionless marriage under the scrutiny
of high society, Avery Stowe is taking back her life. All she wants
is a little privacy and a quiet place to raise her autistic daughter,
Hailey. Redwood Ridge, Oregon, seems to offer all the right
ingredients. Except for the problem of the local sexy veterinarian.
The last thing she needs in her life is to fall for his irresistible
allure, even if he is a nice guy who keeps doing her favors. But the
well-meaning patrons of her new hometown have other ideas, and it
appears playing Cupid is one of them.

Cade O’Grady has never met a woman he
couldn't handle, but when Avery Stowe walks into his office late one
night cradling an injured puppy, he’s struck stupid. Which might
explain her total lack of interest in him. But now that she’s
working for his family’s clinic, he doesn't have to lust from a
distance. He might just have a chance at convincing Avery—and her
too-guarded heart—that falling for the right man isn't a mistake .
. .

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Hello, everyone! Great to be here.

Kensington/Lyrical launched the first story in my new small town rom-com series Redwood Ridge in February. Puppy Love is about a veterinarian, Cade, who's the youngest O'Grady brother and known as a bit of a playboy. What I loved most about this book (and the two releases following) is that the animals are like secondary characters. There's a clinic cockatoo, a great dane, and a cat, plus the characters' pets. So fun.

I'd been wanting to write a small town series for quite awhile and also had veterinarians in mind for potential heroes. I've always been an animal lover and my best friend is a vet tech. The stories she tells me? Hilarious! My main inspiration, though, was my beloved black lab, Willow. She was a rescue dog and was about 9 months old when we adopted her. The husband and I didn't have kids yet, but we recognized from day one she'd be great with anyone.

Gentle and intuitive, she knew I was pregnant before I did. She followed me around everywhere and kept nudging my belly. From the time we brought our twin boys home from the hospital--and 4 years later, our youngest son, too--Willow was the perfect dog. She would commando-crawl on the floor to lay beside them, careful not to smother. When they started toddling, she watched them from a distance, giving a wide berth to not topple them. And as they got older, she handled their rough-housing without batting an eyelash.

I used to study her and them, thinking to myself, this needs to be in a book. The way they interacted and played was something truly special, and so the idea for Puppy Love (later to become a series) was born. Animals have instincts we don't. They see the world in a way we, as humans, never will. They are a gift and a blessing we so often take for granted, and enrich our lives with unconditional love.

Sadly, after 15 wonderful years with our Willow, she passed away just a few weeks before Puppy Love's release. We're heartbroken and miss her terribly. Losing her is a void we won't fill. There was no other dog quite like her, but she's in a place where she can play forever. I can't help but think of the irony as well. That having her as part of our family spurned the idea to write this book, and after years of idly thinking, I finally did it, then she crossed the rainbow bridge right before its release. Almost as if to say, the boys are growing up and you're all good now. My quest is complete.

I suspect, when a decade passes and our boys are settling into their own futures, I'll look back and remember how we didn't raise them alone. How a furbaby we happened to check out at a shelter taught my husband and I more about patience and understanding than any instruction manual or piece of advice. We rescued her, but we were the lucky ones.

Bestselling author Kelly Moran says
she gets her ideas from everyone and everything around her and
there’s always a book playing out in her head. No one who knows her
bats an eyelash when she talks to herself, and no one is safe from
becoming her next fictional character. She is a Catherine
Award-Winner, Readers Choice Finalist, Holt Medallion Finalist, and
earned one of the 10 Best Reads by USA
Today's HEA.
She is also a Romance Writers of America member. Her interests
include: sappy movies, MLB, NFL, driving others insane, and sleeping
when she can. She is a closet caffeine junkie and chocoholic, but
don’t tell anyone. She resides in Wisconsin with her husband, three
sons, and two dogs. Most of her family lives in the Carolinas, so she
spends a lot of time there as well. She loves hearing from her
readers.

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REVIEW OF SOMEBODY TO LOVE

SOMEBODY TO LOVE
By sheryl Browne
Safkhit Publishing
Print and E-download

Donna O’Connor is a single parent who works at a care center for children with learning disabilities. In addition, she has a seventeen-year-old son Matthew, whose pet is Findan, a rabbit. Donna has a three-legged dog, a labrador-mastiff mix, named Sadie. She is busy trying to make ends meet because her ex, Jeremy, is less than helpful, including not spending time with their son. There’s always an excuse, but Jeremy finds time for his girlfriend, Leticia, whom Donna has dubbed Twiglet.

After parking illegally, Donna meets PC Mark Evans, just the Adonis she’s been hoping for. He’s divorced, but has an autistic son, Karl. Well, you can see where this is going, right? Donna can’t help wishing she were ready to get involved with a man.

 Mark is smitten with Donna, so much so that instead of ticketing her for illegal parking, he invites her for coffee. He’d like to invite her for more, but Donna wants to take it slow. And Mark is afraid to admit up front that he has an autistic son.

This book touches on a problem dear to my heart, the autistic child. Ms Browne had done an excellent job of presenting the handicapped child and with the use of assistance dogs. The romance appeals to all romance lovers, and the message is not apparent, but a subplot of the story. Ms Browne’s writing style is delightful and I recommend this fun book to anyone who loves a good romance novel.

Author Sheryl Browne

This book was furnished to me for my honest opinion.

OBSERVING AUTISM AWARENESS

Several of my friends have children or grandchildren who are autistic. One member of my extended family is severely autistic. Since this blog is about books, I want to discuss books helpful in understanding autism. List the subject on Amazon, and you’ll bring up numerous books. There's even a movie I'll mention later.

According to my cousin, the most helpful book she’s read to help her unlock her brother’s severe autism is by Temple Grandin, who is herself autistic. Nowa  high-funtioning autistic, Dr. Grandin has learned to speak in public and actually look at the audience--an amazing accomplishment! My cousin said this book was most helpful because it discusses HOW IT FEELS TO BE autistic and how the autistic individual sees and responds to the world as opposed to so-called normal people. (My elderly Opal friend tells me the only normal is a setting on the clothes dryer.) My cousin expressed that the book was a key to helping her brother who, in addition to being severely autistic, has also been blind from birth. There are numerous titles about and by Dr. Grandin. The following and other books on and by Dr. Grandin may be found at

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_7?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=temple+grandin&sprefix=Temple+%2Cstripbooks%2C240

THINKING IN PICTURES: AND OTHER REPORTS FROM MY LIFE WITH AUTISM, by Temple Grandin, PhD was published 1996. This is her first book about autism, although she has published many papers on autism and also books and papers relating tolivestock handling in the beef industry.


The book above was expanded and updated in THINKING IN PICTURES: MY LIFE WITH AUTISM, by Temple Grandin was published in 2010.

This month, a biography of Ms Grandin was released, TEMPLE GRANDIN: HOW THE GIRL WHO LOVED COWS EMBRACED AUTISM AND CHANGED THE WORLD is by Sy Montgomery.

For you visual learners (a joke, people, lighten up), the 2010 movie "Temple Grandin" starred Clare Dane as Temple and was filmed in Austin, Texas. It received very good reviews.

If you, someone in your family, or a friend has a child with autism, please help yourself understand how the autistic view life by reading one of these books. Here’s a video from YouTube of Temple Grandin, PhD, speaking at the Distinguished Lecture Series of the Mind Institute in 2007. Response was so great, the lecture series had to be moved to the University of California auditorium.

Yes, this is a giveaway hop. Autism is such an important subject, that I saved the giveaway until last, so check the list of participants at http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com To qualify for my giveaway, simply leave a comment. If you're a follower, that counts as a second entry, so please mention in your comment that you're a follower. Be certain to leave your email in your comment. My giveaway is winner's choice of a download of one of my books.

Thanks for stopping by!