Excerpt!
When Jake and I step out onto Fifth Avenue, the cold whips through our bulky coats. The air has that expectant heaviness that feels as if it will snow at any moment. We hurry home and make hot chocolate. My boxes of cookies are hidden away, ready for tomorrow.
“I have something for you,” I say shyly as we sit in the living room, sipping our hot chocolate. “I don’t want to give it to you at your parents'. Do you want it now or tomorrow morning?”
Jake looks up from his mug; he has a chocolate mustache. “Now, please,” he blurts.
I go into Vee’s room, where I hid Jake’s present, and pull it out from under her bed. I carry it back to the couch and hand him the wrapped gift, and he grins, “I love surprises.”
He tears open the wrapping, revealing the framed collage inside. There is a Snowy Owl in the center and then in seven smaller pictures around the edge: there is a yellow-rumped warbler, a palm warbler, a northern cardinal, a white-throated sparrow, a black-capped chickadee and a dark-eyed junco. The last one is a lovely wood thrush to commemorate the job he got me.
“These are the birds we’ve seen when we were together in the park, not the actual picture as I don’t have a camera, but pictures of the birds plus, of course, the wood thrush,” I babble. “I know you hate John Foster, but you seem to like birds, and I thought this could be something for you to remember me by―you know, for when this whole thing is over.” I wave my hands nervously then clasp them at my chest, waiting.
Jake tilts his head and replies, “I love it. You are right. I do like seeing birds with you.” His expression shifts. “But let’s not talk about this whole thing being over. That will just make me sad.”
My heart swells, “Deal.”
We sit sipping our cocoa and talk about each of the birds. I made myself the exact same collage, something to brighten my room when I’m back at my parents’, alone again. I’ll remember each bird sighting. This moment, too. I’m already storing it away, something to take out and examine when the days grow long.
For fans of L. M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle, a contemporary retelling of the beloved romance that follows a sheltered young woman’s quest for love in New York City—and her search for a rare and elusive bird in the deep Arkansas forest.
What if the life you were meant to live was waiting just outside your door?
New York City, 2013. Emma Jablonski’s life is as dry as the day-old bread at her family’s bakery. Living with her parents and grandmother, she clings to the only escape she knows: a recurring dream that feels more real than her waking world. But when Emma’s eyes are open, she’s reminded of what’s out of reach—Jake, the enigmatic boy-next-door.
After a life-changing diagnosis forces her to face her fears, Emma decides it’s time to truly live—before it’s too late. With Jake and his vibrant friend Vee, she dives into a whirlwind of experiences: a fake engagement, dazzling parties, and an obsession with the elusive ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird that may not even exist.
But as her daring adventure is coming to an end, Emma begins to embrace a future she never thought possible. Dreams and reality aren’t supposed to mix . . . are they?
A modern retelling of L.M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle, this gentle story of love, resilience, and the beauty of the unknown reminds us to seek joy in the most unexpected places.
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Buy your copy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Apple Books
Buy your copy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Apple Books
Author bio:
After spending three decades in the insurance industry, Andrea Ezerins traded risk assessments for plot twists. Andrea lives in Hebron, Connecticut, with her husband and is the proud mom of two daughters and identical twin sons. When she’s not writing, she’s raising bluebirds and monarch butterflies, running, or flowing through yoga—often while plotting her next book.
