It's hard to believe that The Gift rolls off the press today - October 17th. I'm excited. Yay!
The project began at the first of the year, when the eight women writers in Story Empire put their thoughts together and birthed a collective project. Ultimately, we decided on three elements to include in each story: the Hawthorne family, a Lighthouse, and the small town of Harbor Pointe. Each story is unique and is ordered by the story's timeline.
My novella is the second in the series and takes place in the late '40s and 50's.
In an innocent American suburb, Shelly doesn’t know the power of a kiss. Or how it will change her entire life.
At sixteen years old, she falls in love with a young man. One night—just one night—they go too far. Months later, pregnant and shamed, Shelly’s parents banish her. Alone and heavily pregnant, circumstances force Shelly to cross the country in an old pickup. A mistaken turn leaves her lost in a forest amidst a severe snow storm and in labor.
In the dark of night. Shelly must get help for her new-born baby before they both perish. A light in the distance gives her the slimmest glimmer of hope. After Shelly wraps the infant in her father’s old jacket, she trudges through the snow to a lighthouse keeper’s cottage. Snow half buries the squat stone building.
Will Shelly find shelter, or is it the beginning of the end?
The Gift is a different kind of Christmas story involving three families. There are gifts under the tree for three readers who can identify the inspiration behind my story. A hint -- the inspiration is an emotion.
If you'd like to participate, write to me at [email protected] with your emotion. I'll announce the results a couple days before Thanksgiving, and, I'll explain why I wrote the story.
Above all else, if you decide to take the leap and read this novella, I hope you enjoy it. ❤️