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.
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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Tell us a little bit about your book.
Waiting for Grace is a modern story of regret, redemption, and rebuilding your life after being blindsided with lessons you didn’t know you should have studied for. Eli Cranston is a very successful lawyer in Los Angeles and though, as a husband, he isn’t quite as adept, he has a good heart. When everything he knows and loves is stripped away, what remains is who he is at his core: a healer. What he doesn’t realize is that in his new landscape, in Bar Harbor, Maine, he is the answer to many people’s mysteries. All it takes is two rescue ponies, Ink and Smudge, to get the ball rolling and bringing to Eli all the people he needs to help and be healed by.
Have you published before?
Yes. Piper, Once & Again (July 2016, Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing) is the first book in this series. Waiting for Grace is the second and the third, Hope Rising can be expected a year from now.
Are you currently working on anything else? Yes, Hope Rising. I do most of my writing in the summer, so as much as I know the direction of the story, I need a solid block of time to get it from my heart to the laptop!
What is your favorite writing snack? Blue Moon. Does that count?
What gets you in the mood to write? When I wake up with a line or an image in my head that my subconscious dreamt up the night before, I need to get it out onto the laptop or at least my phone so I don’t forget. Luckily, this happens each morning of my first draft. For this book, that was 33 consecutive mornings!
Who is your favorite character and why? That’s tough but I’m going to say Hope. I was very much her in terms of the need to be in a barn, with horses and have a nurturing role from a very early age. My family life was, thankfully, not Hope’s experience even if my father’s alcoholism was a formative force.
Favorite book of all time? Such a hard question. I think I will have to say, Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I read it in high school and it just changed all the rules for me in terms of allowing my imagination to do what it does. Like Piggy, I have “ass-mar” and I could relate to his constant anxiety about it. I kept thinking that if the poor kid just had an inhaler, he’d be fine. I often wonder at what age I would have died without mine. I was a horse girl through and through and being allergic to hay was never going to keep me out of the barn so the inhaler was a workaround, even if it was probably a false sense of security.
I think breakfast says a lot about a person, what is your perfect breakfast? A ham and cheese omelet and espresso at a cafe in Paris.
Do you have a favorite period of time that you like to write about or would like to live? I am not sure about living in 14th century Europe but there’s something about the history that fascinates me. I think that if I could be there with a secret stash of antibiotics and four thieves vinegar to help survive the bubonic plague, I’d be fine.
Please tell us in one sentence why we should read your book!
To appreciate your life for all of its successes and near misses, this book will show you that gratitude, family (however it shows up in your experience) and persistence are the cornerstones of creating a life you can be proud of.
Book Tour
January 27
Bookalicious Babes Review
PBT Interview
January 28
Taking Time for Mommy Review
Andi’s Book Reviews Excerpt
January 29
Niki’s Book Blog Review
Candrel’s Crafts, Cooks, and Characters Interview
January 30
Divine Reads Excerpt
Life Beyond Kids Interview
January 31
Gina’s Library Review
Bookworm Babblings Review