A Handful of Hope is Almost Here!

I’m so excited that we’re just under a week out from the release of A Handful of Hope. I’m starting to see a few reviews from folks who got an early copy and it’s encouraging to see that they’ve been enjoying Jen and David’s story. I hope that’s going to be the case for everyone who reads it. (And maybe that goes without saying, cause really, no author *wants* someone not to like their book.)

Be sure to get your preorder in this week if you want to lock in the special price of $0.99. It’ll go up to the regular price of $2.99 after it releases.

I thought I’d share a short excerpt with you to round out today’s post.

Jen Andrews turned her back to the mirror and craned her neck around. Unfortunately, the back of her dress hadn’t miraculously decided to fit. It still made her butt look big. She sighed. Why weren’t bridesmaid dresses designed to be flattering? Sure, the bride needed to be the star of the show, but couldn’t the attendants at least feel good about themselves? At least the shoes were pretty. She was totally going to wear them again, even if the dress was a waste of a hundred and fifty bucks.

“You look amazing.” Sara shut the door to their shared hotel room. She circled her finger in the air.

Jen groaned but circled. “This is not what amazing looks like. Did Rebecca actually think cranberry red was going to look good on us?”

“I think she just got caught up in the whole Christmas Eve wedding thing. Red, green, holly in the bouquets.”

“Holly? Really?”

Sara nodded. “So watch your fingers, ‘cause I pricked myself about twelve times trying to get them out of their box. I don’t understand why the florist didn’t trim the pointy bits, but they didn’t.”

Great. “At least the blood won’t show on these dresses.”

Sara laughed. Sara slid the closet door open and pulled her dress out. “They’re not that bad. And like I said, you’re stunning. Have you met your groomsman yet?”

“Not yet. I was surprised when Rebecca said she’d asked Amy and Paige to be in the wedding party, too. I guess it makes sense, sort of, but was there really a problem with you and me walking down the aisle with Jackson and Zach? It’s like five minutes, total. Who has—or wants—five attendants?”

“Who knows? I think I caught a glimpse of the two guys. They looked a little familiar. Maybe they were at the party where Ben and Rebecca got engaged?”

Jen shrugged. “Like I said, five minutes max, right? It’s not as if we have to become friends. How come you look so much better in this dress than I do?”

“Please.” Sara smoothed her hands down her hips. “I thought the A-line was supposed to be flattering, all it does is highlight the fact that I haven’t been making time for the gym like I used to. It looks the same as it did on the mannequin on you.”

Jen turned sideways and studied her reflection. Maybe Sara was right. She’d never been the best judge of her appearance. Wasn’t everyone their own harshest critic? Regardless, she’d managed to drop seven of the fifteen pounds she was working to get rid of. It was a start, at least. “The shoes are killer though.”

“Killer’s the right word. I don’t know why I let you talk me into agreeing to these. I wear sneakers to work. The last time I wore heels was probably my senior prom. And even those weren’t three inches high.”

“Nothing to it. Just glide.”

Sara shook her head. “Right. Or, you know, pray that you don’t fall on your face. At least the aisle is very, very short.”

“Do Rebecca’s parents know this wedding is happening? I know they were planning on it being a surprise, but something like this is bound to slip out, isn’t it?” Jen frowned and turned away from the mirror. Why was she obsessing about it anyway? She was here for her friend. Period. If it meant wearing an ugly dress, then so be it.

“As far as I know they’re still in the dark. Her mom was just excited to have been able to spend the day at Montepelier and then eat somewhere fancy enough that Rebecca suggested dressing for dinner.”

Jen snickered. “That’s one way to make sure her mom doesn’t end up getting angry about being under-dressed in photos.”