Good morning! Is it snowy in your neck of the woods? Maybe you need a sweet romance to keep you warm. And I've got just the thing for you... Please help me welcome back Romance Gem Nancy Fraser with her new release, ONCE UPON AN ANGEL! Let's find out more...
Blurb ~
Ariel’s an angel-in-training who has only one task she must complete to earn her wings—help the man she left behind find true love. She’s tried twice before, and failed. Or, did she?
Mark is a newly arrived soul in Heaven, one who was taken far too soon.
He’ll need Ariel’s help to acclimate to his new, and totally surprising,
surroundings.
Rick misses Ariel, yet is determined to move on with his life. Can this
new barista at his favorite coffee shop be the woman he’s waited for?
Sabrina’s totally head over heels for the handsome Vice Principal, Rick.
Yet, she comes with some hefty baggage. Can they make it work?
And, what has the archangel Gabriel done to hasten this double romance
along?
Trigger warning: this story also contains two scenes that
reference traumatic events surrounding children and schools. Please be advised
that if this is something that may cause discomfort, you may wish to skip this
book.
Excerpt ~
Ariel Pearce
stood at the front of the assembled group, doing her best to covertly study the
six newbies there for orientation. They sat still as statues in their seats,
the only indication they were even awake shown in the way their gazes darted
around the open space, taking it all in. Their expressions were a mixture of
confusion and wonder. Glancing down at her notes, she prepared herself for the
slew of questions she often had to field. Whether
she wanted to or not.
She was about to
begin her standard welcome speech when the door opened and Gabe—her direct
supervisor—came through.
Oh great. Another impromptu performance evaluation.
It wasn’t until
he’d come forward that Ariel realized Gabe wasn’t alone. Another man followed
closely behind, his focus moving right and left; a look of utter disbelief
rearranging his otherwise pleasing features.
“Oh good,” Gabe
said, his deep voice filled with calm. “You’ve not started yet. I have a late
arrival for orientation.”
Gabe motioned
the young man to a nearby seat. Rather than turn and leave, Gabe settled into
the chair at his side.
Drawing a breath
for strength, Ariel launched into her presentation. “Good morning, ladies and
gentlemen. Welcome to your first day. My name is Ariel, and I’ll be leading
orientation. Today we’ll cover the rules, our expectations, and I’ll answer
your questions to the best of my ability.”
Whispers flitted
through the room like a buzzing of bumblebees.
What? They weren’t expecting “rules”?
“Before I
begin,” Ariel continued, “how about we go around the room and everyone tell us
a bit about yourselves. Perhaps you can talk about your family, or a previous
occupation. Whatever you’d like to share.”
When she
motioned to the front row, a kindly looking, gray haired woman rose slowly to
her feet.
“My name is
Harriett. I’m a grandmother of five. I love to bake and used to work as an
auditor for an insurance company. However, I’ve been retired for seven years.”
Once Harriet sat
down, the young man next to her stood.
“My name’s
Jeremy. I just graduated high school and was hoping to start trade school next
spring. I enjoy playing video games and hanging with my buddies.”
One by one, they
went around the room until they finally reached the man to Gabe’s left.
“And, you are?”
Ariel prompted.
He raised his
head and met her gaze. Yet, unlike the others, he remained seated. “My name is
Mark. I am... was... a schoolteacher before...” His words drifted off.
Ariel knew
better than to press for more.
“Thank you all
for sharing. Once we’re done here, everyone will be assigned a mentor who will
give them a more personalized tour. The overall expectations and rules are
simple. We expect you to complete any assignments you’re given. We expect that
you’ll attend to your personal space and keep it neat and clean. More
importantly, we expect everyone will follow the golden rule of ‘do unto others
as you would have them do unto you’.”
“That’s it?”
Harriet asked. “Surely there’s more.”
Ariel offered
the anxious woman a smile. “That’s all there is to it, Harriet.” Ariel paused a
moment before asking, “Does anyone else have a question?”
When no one
raised their hand, Ariel breathed a sigh of relief. She hated the questions.
Sometimes there were just no acceptable answers. “Well then, we’ll adjourn to
the reception room next door where you will be introduced to your mentor.”
She raised her
head and looked out across the room one last time, and let the importance of
her next words sink into her very soul.
“Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Heaven.”
One-by-one, the
newly deceased filtered into the adjoining room, eager to meet their assigned
guide. Only Gabe and Mark remained behind. Hesitantly, Ariel approached.
“Wonderful job,
as always, Ariel,” Gabe complimented as she drew close.
“I’ll need to
find another mentor,” she said once she’d stopped at Gabe’s side. “I’d only
planned for six arrivals.”
“That won’t be
necessary, Ariel. I’ve decided to have you work with Mark.”
“Me?” Ariel
squeaked. She hadn’t been on mentoring duty in at least two years.
“Yes. You,” Gabe
responded, his voice wrapping firmly around the two simple words.
“Of course. I’d
be happy to be Mark’s guide.” Nobody argued with or questioned Gabe. She wasn’t
about to be the first one to try.
“Here’s his
intake information,” Gabe said, handing her the single piece of paper, the gold
calligraphy exquisite in its perfection. Rising to his feet, he told them,
“I’ll leave the two of you to get acquainted.”
Once Gabe left,
Ariel scanned the form quickly, her attention drawn to the final few lines.
“You were a teacher in Baltimore,” she said, meeting Mark’s dark stare. “So was
I. Elementary though, not high school. Ages ago.”
“How long was
‘ages ago’?” Mark asked.
“Five years as
of next February.”
He grew quiet,
pensive, as if he were mentally calculating events and dates. Subconsciously,
she supposed, he ran a trembling hand across his chest and glanced down at his
black shirt and sport jacket, before coming back to meet her gaze.
“Peterson
Elementary?” Mark finally asked. When she nodded, he drew a breath and added,
“It makes sense, now.”
“What makes
sense?”
“Why your boss
chose you to be my mentor. We obviously have something in common.”
“Yes, I guess we
do,” she agreed. “Gabe’s good at matching newly arrived souls with the right
guide.”
“Gabe, is it? He
never told me his name.”
Ariel stifled
her urge to laugh. “Yeah, he’s reluctant about introducing himself. He goes out
of his way to avoid intimidating people.”
A look of
confusion furrowed Mark’s brow. “Intimidating? How?”
“Most new
arrivals get star struck and nervous when they realize they’ve come
face-to-face with the Archangel Gabriel.”
“Arch... Jeez,
Louise.”
This time Ariel
did laugh. “Exactly.”
Bio ~
Nancy Fraser a Top 100 best-selling and award-winning author.
She's also the granddaughter of a Methodist minister known for his fire-and-brimstone approach to his faith. Nancy has brought some of his spirit into her Christian romances. And, her own off-beat sense of humor to her clean & wholesome books.
When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.
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Thank you, Nancy, for joining us and sharing your latest romance! Best wishes for you and ONCE UPON AN ANGEL!
