Blossoms and Gems (Romance Novellas for hearts of all ages) Series

An Inspirational Romance Novella Excerpt: He waited for her to recollect where they had met. Dot shook her head. "I'm sorry, I honestly don't remember ever meeting you." Maybe the question was only a line often used to start a conversation or—a pickup. "No," he finally spoke. "You wouldn't remember me; you were only six." He had her attention. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Theo‒Theo Scaloni. I'm the In-house Corporate Lawyer at your Uncle Albert's firm." Dot searched her memories. Age six, yes, her father had once taken her with him on a visit to his brother at work. Uncle Albert owned a construction company that had started small and expanded over the years into a profitable and well-respected business. He valued accuracy and timeliness in his dealings with customers. Dot peered up closer at her conversant's face. Yes, country, as she had deemed on first sight. Hard lines, but a semi-rigid jaw softened at the moment by an inquisitive smile, or was it an impudent quirk of the lips. Dot met his gaze. His eyes were beautiful. Set nicely apart above a roman nose, their color an azure blue like the cloudless sky above her this afternoon. A memory stirred "Oh, my goodness, yes. I do remember you." His smile widened. "Do you remember what you made me promise?" "Something to do with—" Dot felt her face grow warm. She lowered her gaze to her white pumps. "Oh, for heaven's sake, I was only six," she gasped. It was a marvel that the memory had returned with such clarity. She had watched a television movie, the evening before her visit to her uncle, where a promise made between two young people in love had endured tragic events and falsehoods. Her mother and father had watched the movie with her, and when she had asked why keeping the promise was so important, they had tried to explain to her, as parents will do, the moral of the story, so that when she grew and found love, she would remember what to look for in a good man to marry. That was a time in her life when she was learning to discern right from wrong. The movie and their advice had made a strong impression upon her child's mind. The next day at her uncle's firm, she had spotted Theo sitting behind a huge monitor – modern technology for that time. He had looked at her and the resemblance to the hero of the movie, especially the eyes, had struck a chord in her child's mind. She had run over to him and quick as a hummingbird, had made him promise that he would marry her one day. He was definitely the good man her parents had described the evening before." "Oh, my Lord!" Dot exclaimed. "And you remember that?" she exclaimed, chuckling. "A promise is a promise," he replied, with an impudent, but good-natured grin...."May I call on you next Friday evening?" Theo asked holding her hand longer than the required handshake. "Ne‒Next Friday?" she stammered. "I‒I have to check my calendar." Except for a couple of luncheons with her old college mate, her calendar was empty. She had graduated only a few months ago with honors from her two-year Liberal Arts Course, and was now taking a year off to decide where and what her future lay. With his left hand he reached into the chest pocket inside his tux jacket and withdrew a business card. "My cell phone number is on the back. Let me know." Their fingertips touched as she accepted the card. He had strong hands, and his fingers felt warm and comforting. "Ye‒Yes. I‒I'll let you know." What was the matter with her? Dot thought. Why was she stuttering? Where was her usual serene, composed self? Why was she not withdrawing her hand. And when he finally let go, why did her fingers grow suddenly cold? He gave her a disarming smile, then turned and left....

Plain Helen, frumpy, dumpy, frizzy haired freshman Helen, who will love plain Helen? Certainly not the handsomest, smartest, even-tempered, good-humored High School Senior, scholar, football athlete, hunk, Kurt Lance. Though he notices her kind innocent sweet nature, he is quickly tempted away by other girls, some just as sweet-natured, and prettier. Like many of the girls in school, Plain Helen has a crush on Kurt and never quite forgets. Ten years later, slightly less frumpy dumpy but still plain rainy day frizzy-haired Helen, employed in a publishing firm, is offered a promotion to an editorial position. But first she must apprentice with a full-fledged editor. She accepts and the following morning walks into the office of her new boss who turns out to be Kurt. Of course, she sighs, he doesn't remember her. Why should he? Or does he?

(An Inspirational Romance Novella) Jenny had everything a beautiful, sharp-witted, wealthy young woman could want, except one thing, Ron, the young man she had loved since high school. Ron, not the smartest or most handsome, injured as a child in a car accident that had left him with a permanent limp requiring him to use a cane, had loved Jenny for as long. But that was his secret. And he meant it to remain a secret. Excerpt: CHAPTER ONE Jenny was a ruby, as was her sister and her mother. Her father was a sapphire as was her brother. Ruby and Sapphire were what the girls in her high school nicknamed their loveliest and most handsome schoolmates. But as lovely and handsome, most of them were selfish, self-obsessed snobs, never above ridiculing anyone they considered beneath them. Jenny was the exception. She never joined in their pranks, or snickered or looked down on anyone less fortunate, no matter how hard they tried to pull her in. They tolerated her because she was beautiful, talented, intelligent, sharp-witted, and her parents were among the wealthiest in the town. Even when she chose as her closest friend, the plainest girl in school, they turned a blind eye, because her fairness and kindness extended to them as well. Jenny had everything, beauty, brains, wealth, a promising future beginning with the most prestigious college her parents could well afford. She had everything, except for the boy she admired, and whose affection she yearned for. No one knew, not even Lilac, her closest friend. Certainly none of the Rubies. The boy's name was Ronald Leonard Chapman, and he lived a few blocks from her, which might as well have been the moon. She had never seen him before that afternoon at a baseball game in the town's major league ball park. Her parents had procured front row seating for her brother James and two of his friends, avid baseball fans like himself. He was older than her by three years, and since the day she began to walk, she had followed him everywhere around their home. They had remained close over the years. He had always been kind, never teased her as her older sibling, Eleanor. It was natural, when one of his friends had to forego the game, that her brother should ask her to take his place and join him. She might not be alive today, eight years later, Jenny thought, treading her comb through waves of short silky dark blonde hair, if it was not for Ron who happened to be sitting beside her that afternoon. She'd hardly noticed him, except for the cane that had caught her eye as she bent to re-tie the shoe lace that had come undone on her left sneaker. His teenage face, somewhat drawn and sallow, would be a memory long lost and gone, if during an unforgettable pitch, the ball had not shot like a rocket toward her head, and this stranger had pushed her to the side so that it impacted his collar bone, instead of cracking her skull.

A clean, light-hearted, inspirational contemporary romance novella for hearts of all ages. Excerpt 1: Attie looked at the clock. Too late, she thought. Way too late. Spinsterhood might have its good points; it might not be so bad, she thought with a deep sigh. If truth be told, she was not unattractive. Dark brown hair that she parted at the crown so it bobbed softly above the tips of her shoulders. Dark eyes nicely spaced over a nose a tad bit larger than she preferred. And a finely shaped mouth to frame a set of good teeth when she smiled. All in all, a pleasant faced woman, whose smiles men returned affably, respected, and quickly forgot about. Conversation-wise, she tried, really tried, but soon they grew bored, or she did. Whatever impassioned her, left them disinterested, and vice versa. This past spring, her mom and dad gifted her an orange plant to keep in the corner of her small patio. She tended it carefully, making sure it received lots of sunshine and water, and whispered to it daily. But as was her fate with plant life, not unsimilar to her lovelife, the leaves stayed green and fresh, but no blossoms, and no oranges. Brendan looked at the clock. Too late, he thought. Way too late. Bachelorhood might have its good points; it might not be so bad, he thought with a deep sigh. If truth be told, he was not unattractive. Dark brown hair somewhat on the curly side. Dark eyes nicely spaced over an average greek nose and a well-defined mouth to frame a set of good teeth when he smiled. All in all, a pleasant faced man, whose smiles women returned affably, respected, and quickly forgot about. Conversation-wise, he tried, really tried, but soon they grew bored, or he did. Whatever impassioned hm, left them disinterested, and vice versa. This past spring, his parents gifted him an orange plant to keep in the corner of his small patio. He tended it carefully, making sure it received lots of sunshine and water, and whispered to it daily. But as was his fate with plant life, not unsimilar to his lovelife, the leaves stayed green and fresh, but no blossoms, and no oranges. Can Attie's and Brendan's guardian angels put their wings together and solve the problem? Excerpt 2: Beneficus whispered to Adelais, "We have sparked their interest. But they don't know who they are." "Not to worry," Adelais said. "I have discussed the matter with two of the Archangels. They have told me Mary is on our side. Attie is devoted to her. And the Lord is rooting for them as well." "It goes that high?" Beneficus remarked, in awe. "They are part of the domino effect that holy souls create — they and their offspring, all through time and eternity." "If they are this important in the chain of events—" "No less important than any soul to the Blessed Trinity," Adelais said. Beneficus nodded. "It will not be easy. The opposition has already tampered with their self-confidence." Adelais turned her eyes heavenward. "I went to Mary and she gave me her Son's advice. As He often says, Never underestimate the power of love."

Excerpt: As she had done several times this past month in response to her mother's entreaties, Adriana tried on the dress once more, and stood before the free-standing full length oval mirror — another heirloom handed down through the years — a beautiful Florentine mirror framed in rosewood lovingly carved with fleurs-de-lis. The mirror and the matching vanity in her room had been gifted many years ago by an Italian nobleman to his spouse, a daughter of the Dellaportas. Adriana studied her reflection in the mirror. The red emphasized her lightly tanned skin and the warm dark brown waves of her shoulder length hair. The dress had been sized to fit her slender figure and medium height. The skirt fell in vertical waves to just below her knees. Her mother had told her that the dress was priceless. And if the Dellaporta line ever died out, every Dellaporta's Last Will and Testament specifically mandated the dress be donated to a local museum who had over the generations repeatedly requested to display it among their most precious acquisitions. Perhaps it was the mood of the present generation, or the reason behind wearing the dress — to entice a suitable husband — or the debutante ball itself, putting her on public display, that made Adriana shudder.... Adriana sighed, contemplating the dress and the silk rose clip. The accessory was made of the finest silk, but she'd prefer a real flower.. The vase in the corner of her vanity held a bouquet of roses in full bloom - a Valentine's Day present from her parents, two days ago. On impulse, she took a small silver scissor from the side drawer of her vanity, and cut a rose to replace the accessory. She slipped off the silk blossom and threaded the stem bit through the gold pin, then clipped the rose to her hair above her left temple. As she did so, some of the petals fell to the ground. Closing the gap between the vanity and the mirror, she bent to pick up the trail of petals. At that very moment, a ray of sunlight cut through the window sash, encircling her body in a halo. The free-standing mirror reflected her image as she picked up the petals. Unaware of her surreal image and the cascade of sunray, Adriana's thoughts were of the suitors who would vie for her hand in marriage. Certainly, the dress made her look beautiful and desirable, and her parents' wealth and her inheritance, more so. It was not a publicized fact, but many of the Dellaporta daughters had not been happy in their marriages. Another reason she wished to avoid the whole tradition. She wanted to marry and raise a family of her own. But most importantly, she wanted to love her chosen spouse and be loved in return for all their lifetime. To be loved for herself, for her spirit and her mind, and not for the beauty of the body that was transitory, or for her inheritance. Occupied with her thoughts, she paused in the act of collecting the fallen petals, trying to imagine the man who might fit that description. She did not notice the subtle haze created by the sunray around her. In her mind's eye, she imagined that he would not know who she was, or her background and traditions. And it would not be love at first sight. He would fall in love with her slowly, day by day, as he grew to know her. And vice versa. A gentle, good man, with a modicum of common sense. A hard worker who did not aspire to a fortune. She would not find him at a debutante ball. No! she determined. I will not wear this dress or attend any coming out ball! Adriana finished picking up the petals and stood up. The light coming from the window dimmed, the accompanying surreal aura cleared, the haziness dispersed. Adriana slipped out of the dress and replaced it on the hanger and re-hung it all the way back in her walk-in closet.