A Sneak Peek: Excerpt from Chapter 1

Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time working on a new series. If you read my newsletter, then you’ve heard hints. I don’t want to give too much away just yet, but thought I’d share an excerpt from the first chapter. It’s a moment between the main character, Keira, and her grandma. Keira has a dream of opening her own bakery but calls it a ‘one day’ dream. In this scene, Grandma challenges Keira to start taking action.

If you’re wondering if I genre jumped, the answer is no. This book is set on Vancouver Island, B.C. and is Urban Fantasy. I’m hoping to release it later this year.

That’s all for now. Enjoy the small bite into this new Work in Progress.

The elevator door slid open, and I walked down the brightly lit hallway. Grandma’s apartment was at the end. The door was already cracked open.

“Hi Grandma!” I called and kicked off my shoes.

“Keira, good to see you.” Grandma leaned in for a hug which I readily returned. She was a petite woman, but strong and active.

I held up a bag of baked treats. “These are for you. Fresh this morning.”

Grandma patted my arm. “You shouldn’t be baking on your day off but thank you.”

I followed Grandma into the kitchen and grabbed tea mugs from the cupboard. Technically, they were coffee mugs, but Grandma and I drank tea, so we’d re-named them tea mugs.

Grandma removed the tea cozy from the tea pot. “It’s a specialty tea from that tea shop down the street. It’s supposed to go good with sweets.”

I breathed in a spicy scent as Grandma filled the mugs. She then hid the teapot under the tea cozy and placed the cinnamon rolls on a plate.

“How’s work going?” Grandma asked.

I shrugged. “It’s okay, I suppose.” I started for the living room but stopped at the dining table. There was a large puzzle spread over the tabletop. “Since when did you start putting together puzzles?”

Grandma came up behind me with the plate of rolls, napkins, and small plates. “My neighbor, Alice, gave it to me. She thinks I need a hobby.”

I set the mugs down and fingered a few pieces then the box top. It was a street scene with row shops and right in the middle was a bakery. I stared at it for a moment then looked at Grandma. The elderly woman’s eyes twinkled.

“Want to work on it together?”

I pulled out a chair. “Why not.”

The pieces were scattered over the table like Grandma had just opened the box and spilled out the pieces.

“I like to start with the borders.” Grandma threw a few middle pieces in the cardboard box bottom. She pushed a few straight edge pieces to the side.

I added to the two piles.

“So work’s just okay?” Grandma fit a few pieces together.

“Yea, okay.”

“When are you going to open your bakery?”

I scowled. The gray pieces in my hand looked like the street at the bottom of the picture. They fit together nicely. “You know the answer.”

Grandma tossed a few more pieces in the box bottom. “You know, one day never comes.”

“What do you mean?”

“You say one day and in your mind you even picture that one day, but it never comes.”

There was a touch of defeat to Grandma’s voice. I squinted at the elderly woman and grabbed a few more gray border pieces and fit them together.

“Did you ever have a one day dream?” I asked.

Grandma chuckled. “We all do, dear.”

“What was yours?”

“I wanted to open my own dress shop and become a fashion designer.”

My eyebrow perked up. Grandma was talented. She had made me many outfits growing up. Despite this, it was hard to imagine her showcasing her work during fashion week. But that was probably because I knew her as Grandma not fashion designer.

Grandma slid another piece into place. “I once had a spot to showcase my work at a fashion show in Toronto. Can you believe it?”

I nodded. “Yes and no. I could see you doing it, but picturing you at fashion week with all the other designers… You’re very talented. Why didn’t you pursue it?”

“It was my one day dream. And now age makes it impossible.” Grandma held up her fingers twisted with arthritis.

“That’s sad.” I fit another piece into the street edging.

“I’m talking about you dear, not me.”

“Me? I’m working on my dream and it will happen one day.” I tested the tea. It was cool enough for a mouthful.

Grandma chuckled softly and shook her head. She fitted a few blue pieces together edging out the sky. “That’s what I thought.”

“Well, I’m not you.” I glanced up at the clock and noticed the time. “I need to go. I told Jana I’d meet her at the gym today for a workout.”

Grandma stood slowly and patted my arm as we headed to the door. “Think about what I said.”

I zipped up the front of my red hoodie. “I will, Grandma,” I said this more to please the elderly woman than with any conviction.

“Thanks for the visit. See you tomorrow?” Grandma’s brow perked up in a question.

“I’m at work tomorrow, so after my shift. I’ll text you and let you know when I’m coming.”

Grandma nodded and watched me as I headed to the elevator. The day was still warm as it was only early afternoon. I entered the urban forest and a quick gust of wind temporarily stole the warmth. I pulled up my hood.

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