Waiting for Grace: a novel of redemption
Eli Cranston, Esq. has fled his Los Angeles law practice after the loss of his wife and daughter. Thirty-four hundred miles away a new life was waiting; one in which Eli could find redemption, forgiveness, and a purpose, if only he would allow it.
In a small cottage by the sea, Eli launches a new career in Forward Life Progression–a practice which pushes patients past their traumas and addictions to build a new resilient existence, one they can work toward simply by knowing it exists. But what happens when a client sees a future that includes Eli?
Life on a farm in Bar Harbor, Maine, holds the promise of a long winter haunting Eli with unopened boxes and letters. But here, where the light is surreal, transformation can take place. Eli finds Hope; caring for two miniature horses, Ink and Smudge, a pregnant cat, and a handyman named Clem, he sees his own new future. He finds comfort at the market, not in the mysterious fire cider, but in the owner of Full Circle Farm, Rebecca. Can he keep his secrets and move forward? Is anyone ever really allowed to leave their past behind completely?
Eli’s monthly visits to his idol, Dr. Otto Gunther, an eighty-six-year-old holocaust survivor, reveals a past life from this future-life expert that Eli was not expecting. As it turns out, everyone is looking for second chances, and waiting for redemption in whatever form, and however long, it takes.
Read an Excerpt –
“Wait. What is this, Eli? What does he mean?” Antigone felt drawn up the front steps but wanted to take Grace back into her arms at the same time, her little bunny in a sense. “It’s ours, Tig. This is our new house!” He put one hand on her lower back as she stepped through the front door and into the foyer which immediately drew her eyes upward. The soaring ceilings and chandelier above her were dizzying and the coolness of the stone floors made her feel like she was back in Europe on her honeymoon six years before. She turned back toward Eli. “Is this real life? I don’t understand, how can this be happening?” “That’s a question for Dad, actually.” Eli turned to his father and as he always had, Richard stood tall. Eli always saw his father through a superhero lens and it often made him feel inadequate, as though nothing he would ever do in life could compare to his father. “Antigone, Sweetheart. Come here.” He held his arms out to his only daughter-in-law and though she was still stunned and unsure of what this surreal moment meant, she stepped into Richard’s embrace. “On the first of next month, Eli will become the third Cranston partner at Cranston, Cranston and, well,Cranston!” Antigone stepped back and looked into Richard’s eyes and then to Eli. “Babe! That’s amazing! Partner?! You have wanted this since the day I met you. Oh my God this is unreal!” Richard gently took Grace from Eli’s grasp so Antigone could have her turn. “Shall I give you a tour, Mrs. Cranston?” Eli offered her his arm. Slipping her arm through his and walking beside Eli down the hallway toward the next chapter of their existence together was, in a way, a contract she hadn’t yet read thoroughly.
Advance Praise
“Caroline Zani’s WAITING FOR GRACE is old-fashioned storytelling—sweet, sad, filled with head and heart—about the longing we carry to do the right thing.” — Jacquelyn Mitchard, NYT bestselling author of THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN
“Author Caroline E. Zani has produced a fascinating and highly thought-provoking drama. [T]he prose flows really well, and the characters are drawn as if they spring straight from real life, facing deeply emotional encounters in the past and present, with common themes about human nature and what we seek for ourselves in the future. WAITING FOR GRACE is a complex but highly worthwhile read that is definitely recommended to fans of metaphysical and high concept drama.” — K.C. Finn, Reader’s Favorite 5-STARS
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