Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where participants share excerpts of their books or works-in-progress. It’s a fun way to sample new books and find new authors! Be sure to check out their website. Today’s selection comes from my new release, The Book of Joy. The full synopsis is below. Shannon and Joya have spent time together helping his mother, who is now laid up following an accident that Shannon feels partly responsible for. Joya, however, sees the situation for what it is and convinces him otherwise. It’s then Shannon comes to an important realization.

Snippet:

Shannon stared at her in earnest, astounded by her level of care for him–she wouldn’t even let him wallow in pity. She was right, he needed to stop arguing.

“Yes ma’am,” he responded, “whatsoever you desire, my lady.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” she said, seriously, then laughed. Shannon smiled: he liked the sound of her voice–it was melodic. “I’ll let you get back to work, just wanted to make sure you were hydrated.”

Joya handed him the second bottle of water, stood up and went back inside. Without even trying, his heart followed after her: he was in love.

Synopsis: 

Shannon wants for nothing except the love of a good woman. However, he is so focused on his career and caring for his elderly mother Evelyn, he doesn’t realize he’s missing anything. Until he meets Joya, the widowed daughter-in-law of a family friend. She is a loving, generous woman who brings a much-needed spark into his life; but because she is younger than him and still dealing with the loss of her husband, he is hesitant to approach her.

Joya, for her part, maintains a good attitude about her situation and is appreciative of the people around her—especially Shannon, whose friendship fills the gaps in her life that would otherwise remain empty. But after burying her husband, she isn’t sure she has it in her to fall in love again.

This, of course, will not do for Evelyn, who sees the potential for love (and grandchildren) in them. Nor for Gail, the family friend, who has her own reasons for wanting to match the two. They go to great lengths to bring Shannon and Joya together. But as the four contend with the directions their lives are moving, they soon discover that sometimes life is more about letting yourself be loved than it is about falling into it.

The book is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and iTunes.

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