In Love
Travels Forever, Jaye Frances captures the reader’s heart with an
inspiring collection of seventeen stories filled with romance and passion, the
hopeful innocence of youth, and a love so strong that it transcends the
mortality of life. Here are just a few of the people you’ll meet:
Evan and
Frankie, a loving couple traveling through life hand-in-hand, are unaware that
the shadow of fate is about to tear them apart. Helpless to change their
shortened future together, one of them makes a promise—a promise of devotion
and courage, honoring a love that surpasses the boundaries of time.
Mark and
Janice, the perfect couple with the perfect life, are on the threshold of
finally seeing their dreams come true—until an unexpected circumstance changes
their lives forever.
Danny, a
young soldier fresh out of boot-camp, is desperate to find a way to travel home
and marry his sweetheart before being shipped overseas. Stranded in a train station
on a three day pass with no hope in sight, Danny meets Wanda, an incredible
woman who vows to find a way to bring Danny and his fiance together.
Nora and
Georgia are two eight-year-old best friends who share giggles, dolls, and
secrets. But when one of them faces sudden danger, the other responds with an
unconditional act of love and forges a lifelong bond between them unaffected by
fear or prejudice.
So find a
quiet spot, get comfy, and grab a box of Kleenex. You’re about to take an
unforgettable journey of the heart, to a place where compassion and hope have
no limits, and where love continues to travel forever.
****
Thank you,
Mysti for featuring my new release Love Travels
Forever.
The book is a collection of my favorite short stories and essays, exploring the
boundaries of courage, the joy of romance, and the enthusiasm of young love.
In “What
Might Have Been,” you’ll meet two people, previous classmates, who are
re-introduced at a twenty-fifth high school reunion. And when one of them
reveals a secret, they both begin to wonder how different their lives could
have been . . .
Excerpt:
I
couldn’t place him. He was definitely familiar, but I couldn’t make the
connection. I managed a few clumsy questions about mutual friends and teachers,
yet I was still clueless. Then he asked if I had kept the old Chevy Nova I
drove in my senior year. I felt terrible. He had recognized me, even
remembering the car I used to drive. I finally had to admit it—I didn’t
remember him.
“That’s
okay,” he said. “It’s my fault for not wearing my nametag. I’m Neil Graham. My
locker was across the hall from yours. We were also in senior English
together.”
The
memories came rushing back. In high school, he’d been an anomaly—good looking,
athletic, smart—and painfully quiet. Seldom seen at school dances or other
social functions, he didn’t seem to have a lot of friends, and yet he usually
offered a smile to anyone passing by, as if silently inviting them to stop and
chat.
As
we became reacquainted, our conversation flowed relaxed and easy. He reminded
me about the Spring Fever dance in the cafeteria, when Michael Sanders drenched
my new pink taffeta dress with Coke. He confessed to sitting behind me in the
theater on a rainy Saturday afternoon during our junior year—I didn’t know
it—to watch “Poltergeist.”
I
learned that he’d been married for eight years, had a family, and loved to
sail. He told me he’d majored in marine biology in college, and after
graduation had moved to the west coast to work at one of the research
institutes. Taking advantage of the first lull in the conversation, he pushed
back his chair and stood.
“I’ll
be right back,” he promised. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”
He
returned a few minutes later with his wife. She shook my hand, and the three of
us exchanged small talk until she excused herself to go inside and retrieve her
sweater.
And
then he said it . . .
“You
know, I had a huge crush on you all through high school. But I was just too shy
to ask you out. Night after night, I picked up the phone and dialed all the
numbers except the last one. I guess I was afraid to let it ring, knowing you
might answer and then I wouldn’t know what to say.”
As
he told me about those nights from so many years ago, he admitted that he’d
even written out a complete script with different responses based on how I
might answer his questions. We laughed as he readily admitted how silly he had
been, allowing his lack of experience and risk of rejection to keep him from
having a simple phone conversation.
“I
kept hoping we’d bump into each other in the hallway,” he continued, “or we’d
wind up sitting together in one of those break-out sessions we used to have in
English class. But it never happened. And even years later, I still tried
to imagine what my life would have been like, if I’d only had a little more
courage.”
I
told him how flattered I was, and that indeed, I wished he’d been a bit more
bold, assuring him that I would have accepted his invitation.
An
hour later we were saying our goodbyes. And in one of those brief, yet
never-to-be-forgotten moments, while his wife was busy exchanging business
cards with a new acquaintance, Neil left me with a bittersweet tribute to all
the secret loves that remain unspoken.
“I’ve
always wondered how much different my life would have been with you in it,” he
said. And without hesitating, he added, “And even today, I still do.”
Wanting
to say more but knowing I couldn’t, I told him how nice it was to see him
again, and how much I enjoyed meeting his wife. It was all I could think of.
True to
tradition, we exchanged our yearbooks and updated our original comments.
Finally, he thanked me for spending the time to reminisce with him and then
mentioned something about his babysitting mom expecting them home by midnight.
And with that, the night became another memory.
On
the drive home I stopped for coffee and, on a whim, took my high school annual
inside the restaurant to look at the new comments I’d gathered at the reunion.
I turned directly to Neil’s picture, curious about what he had added to his
original note.
“If
I had only known what was waiting for me, I would have taken the chance,” he
wrote. And then he signed it, “Silwy.”
The
signature didn’t make any sense—at least not to me—until two months later, when
my niece asked if she could look through the old annual. The unusual signature
brought her running, with the translation: Still in love with you.
****
Love Travels
Forever is available now
in kindle eBook on Amazon for $1.99
US:
UK:
Jaye Frances is the author of The Kure,
a paranormal-occult romance novel, The Possibilities of Amy, a
coming-of-age romance novella, The Cruise-All That Glitters, a
humorous adult satire about love on the high seas, The Beach, a
sci-fi supernatural tale about a man who is given the opportunity to receive
his ultimate wish, and Love Travels Forever, a
collection of poignant short stories and essays. She is also a featured
columnist for the NUSA SUN magazine. Born in the Midwest, Jaye readily admits
that her life’s destination has been the result of an open mind and a curiosity
about all things irreverent. When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye
enjoys cooking, traveling to all places tropical and “beachy” and taking
pictures—lots of pictures—many of which find their way to her website. Jaye
lives on the central gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband,
six computers, four cameras, and several hundred pairs of shoes. For more
information, visit Jaye’s website at www.jayefrances.com,
or Jaye’s Blog at http://blog.jayefrances.com
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