Blurb:
Midville newcomer and
Iraq War widow, Dorie Fitzgerald, despises the frigid Adirondack
wasteland that has now become her home. After twenty failed job interviews, she
questions the wisdom of moving to be near her parents. Her latest
rejection for a clerk’s position at Bargains Galore sets her nerves on
edge. Dorie’s faith has been a composite of expectations, first those of
her parents, then later her husband’s. She wonders what a faith of her own
would look like. Desperate for the towns acceptance, she joins the
local Community Theater, in production for It’s a Wonderful Life.
Jamey Sullivan has put his professional life on hold in
order to run the family business and help his ailing father. He signs on for
Midville’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life, although he
hopes to receive a Broadway casting call any day now. Civic minded, Jamey is a
Boy Scout leader, Sunday School teacher, and baseball coach. Helping people is
a natural extension of his friendly nature, something he inherited from Pop in
addition to the family business.
When Dorie and Jamey
meet, they are instantly attracted to one another. However, ambition, demanding
children, and a romantic rival threaten to squash their growing love for one
another.
Dorie threw the letter and shrugged as it
landed on top of
the
leftover peanut butter sandwiches. Maybe she should
finish
reading it, just in case she’d misunderstood the opening
paragraph.
She picked up the memo again and flicked off the
residue
along its edges, skimming the next few lines. When done,
she
subdued the urge to scream. The kids were asleep—finally.
As
she read, she mouthed the words with clenched jaws.
“Thank
you for your interest in Bargains Galore. I am sorry to
inform
you that the position for which you applied has been
filled…
Blah, Blah, Blah.
Sincerely, James Paul Sullivan…”
Regardless
of the perfumed words, they still stung.
“What
is it with this town?” She ripped the rejection into
pieces
and tossed it into the trash. “I can’t even get a job at the
local
dollar store. Somebody, somewhere, must need a computer
programmer.”
Focus
on the positive Dorie. Mom’s voice echoed in her
memory.
She’d spent a great night with the children, her favorite
people,
a read-a-thon and Fern Gully,
and bedtimes with no
rebuttals
from Josh or squalls from Emma, all huge positives.
When
the kids went to sleep, the nights became a desert
crossing,
interminably long and arid. She settled into the recliner—
Devon’s
chair—and flipped through the television
channels.
Nothing of interest. Just news, reruns, or cartoons.
She
clicked off the television and picked up the newspaper.
With
a discordant sigh, she skipped over the first seven pages
and
turned to the classifieds. Scanning the five employment
ads,
she screeched an entire sonnet of Midville condemnations
then
threw the paper at the wall.
Now
her tirades beamed toward her late husband. “Devon,
you
had no right to get yourself blown up fighting a war
nobody
cares about anymore. How do you expect me to raise
these
kids on my own when I can’t even get a job?”
Boomer’s
bark brought her back from the edge of uncontrolled
rage,
a precipice she teetered on all too often these days.
He
nudged the crumpled newsprint in her direction. Some
people
believed Irish setters could read minds, but the last she
knew,
they couldn’t read newspapers. Maybe he sensed something
there—something
good.
A
breeze from the open window stirred its pages.
She
bent over to pick it up. A jelly smudge brought her
attention
to the announcement: Midville Players casting call.
Who
would have thought a puny town like Midville would
have
a drama group?
Curiosity
numbed her anger. “Midville Players will hold
auditions
for their upcoming Christmas production of It’s
a
Wonderful
Life—”
Did she
dare? She’d played an angel in a Christmas pageant
once.
That was a lot of fun and her teacher said she was the
best
angel. This would be different though. Still, what was the
worst
that could happen?
You’d
look like a fool and find new depths of rejection.
Discretion
warned her to avoid any more opportunities for
failure.
“Now
don’t let your mind go there Dorie.”
Devon
had always encouraged her to try new things. Besides,
didn’t
Daddy say the best way to find a job was to circulate?
Since
moving to Midville four months ago her only
networking
had been with her parents’ retired church friends.
Time
to find a new circle of friends closer to her age.
She
picked up the phone and hit the first number on her
speed
dial. “Mom, will you watch the kids for me tomorrow
night?”
review
Ms. Rondeau has written a charming Christmas
story with 3D characters that linger long after the last page is turned. I haven't
seen the film that kept being referred to, so all those references were lost.
However, it doesn't detract from the story itself. Dorie makes a wonderful
heroine as she tries to make a new life for herself and her children after the
death of her husband. Jameey as the hero, is also trying to do what is right
for him, while doing right by his father and the business. Definitely a book to
curl up with over the long winter nights.
Bio:
Winner of the 2012 Selah Award for best
first novel (The Other Side of Darkness/Harbourlight), LINDA RONDEAU, writes stories of redemption
and God’s mercies. Walk with her unforgettable characters as they journey paths
not unlike our own. After a long career in human services, mother of three and
wife of one very patient man, Linda now resides in Florida where she is active
in her church and community. Readers may
visit her web site at www.lindarondeau.com. Her second book, written under L.W. Rondeau,
America II: The Reformation, Trestle Press, the first in a dystopian trilogy,
is a futuristic political now available in ebook on Amazon.com
and Barnes
and Noble. Also with Trestle Press
is her serial story, Rains of Terror which can be found on Amazon.Com. A
Christmas Adirondack romance ,
It Really IS a Wonderful Life, is now available through Amazon.com,
published by Lighthouse of the Carolinas.
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