Thanks to author Karen Malley for visiting the Wranglers again, and my apologies for posting this on the wrong day! A Second Chance for Grace released on April 23, so instead of giving it the pre-bump that was intended, we're offering you a reminder instead! Thanks for coming, Karen. Sorry again for the mix-up, and best wishes for this wonderful release! - Liz
Thanks so much for having me back at Word Wranglers. I visited in the fall when I released my debut novel Following the Sparrows. I’m back again to tell you about book 2 in the series, A Second Chance for Grace, which released April 23rd.
Second chances are God’s specialty. Where would the
heroes of the faith be if God didn’t give second chances? Moses ran away to
tend sheep in the wilderness, David committed adultery and murder, Peter denied
ever knowing Jesus, and Paul had Christians thrown into jail. Thankfully, God
gave them a second chance, and they all served Him mightily. Their stories are
encouraging to me, since no matter what I may have messed up in the past, God
can still use me.
In A Second Chance for Grace, several characters experience the blessing of a second chance with God. The book brings back many of the characters from Following the Sparrows, but the book can be read as a standalone story.
A new life coming into the world disrupts Susan's quiet life ...
Susan Montgomery is used to a quiet, peaceful life managing her apartment building, where the hardest problem is her grouchy neighbor's leaky faucet. She soon finds herself dealing with a pregnant teenage niece, a mysterious briefcase left behind by a tenant, and two very different men vying for her heart.
A near-death experience gives Mac a new outlook on life ...
Christopher "Mac" MacAllister is trying to figure out how to "do the Christian thing." As a new convert, he's drawn to Susan's love for life and for God. She's nothing like the women he used to date; but can Mac compete with the guy who's come out of nowhere and knows all the right things to say?
To purchase A Second Chance for Grace:
As they walked into
Ruby’s, a place almost as familiar to Mac as his own apartment, he took in the
place with new eyes. He held the door for Susan and watched her expression as
she entered. She didn’t seem nervous. He
breathed a sigh of relief. He followed Susan’s gaze around the pub. With low
lighting, wood paneled walls, and well-worn wood flooring, it was a little
dark, but not uncomfortably so. He followed her eyes as they traveled past the
bar, along the back wall where the dart boards hung, to the back of the room
with the pool tables. The bar stools were filled, mostly with guys Mac
recognized. A couple of guys from the construction crew were still here. He
smirked. He wouldn’t mind them seeing him in here with her. As soon as that
thought crossed his mind, another one quickly followed it. He didn’t want her
to mix with those guys. A strange sense of protectiveness came over him.
“Can I get you a drink
while we play?” Mac asked.
“Sure,” Susan answered.
“I’ll have a lemon-lime soda.”
The bartender gave Mac a
friendly smile. “You’re in late tonight. What will it be?”
Mac tilted his head
toward Susan. “The lady would like a lemon-lime soda.”
The bartender grabbed a
glass, scooped some ice, and filled it from the soda gun. He handed the glass
to Mac. “And for you?”
Mac hesitated, but only
for a second. “Make it two.”
The bartender raised his
eyebrows for a fraction of a second, but repeated the process and handed the
second glass to Mac. Mac gave one of the glasses to Susan and they walked back
to the dart boards.
“It’s fine if you want to
get a beer.” Susan said. “Just because I don’t drink doesn’t mean you can’t.”
“I’m fine with a soda,”
Mac said, and surprisingly, he meant it. Soon, he and Susan were in the middle
of a fierce darts competition. Halfway through the game, when the score was
tied, Susan turned to Mac with a gleam in her eyes. “What?” he asked.
“I was wondering what
we’re playing for,” Susan said.
Mac lowered his arm, dart
in hand. “What do you mean?”
Susan smiled. “Well,
we’re halfway through the game, and I don’t even know what the stakes are.”
Mac raised his eyebrows.
“What do you suggest?”
“Loser buys wings.”
Mac grinned. “You’re on. Best
of 5.”
After both won 2 games,
the final match was close, but Mac pulled it out.
With a pretend look of
defeat, Susan gave Mac a handshake. “You got me. How hot do you want your
wings?”
“As hot as you can take
it, sweetheart.”
Susan smiled and headed
to the bar to put in the order.
“Hey, Mac,” a syrupy sweet
voice whispered in his ear.
Mac stepped back. “Hey,
Ashley.”
Ashley ran her fingers
along Mac’s chin. “Want to buy me a drink?”
Mac took her hand from
his face. “Ash, I’m here with someone.”
Ashley blinked her eyes
at him. “So what? It will be someone else tomorrow. Wouldn’t you rather come
home with me tonight?”
“It’s not like that,
Ashley.” Mac’s stomach rolled. He watched the bar, praying Susan wouldn’t turn
around. No luck. Here she came.
Susan carried the wings
to the high-top by the dart boards, then turned and stuck her hand out to
Ashley. “Hi. I’m Susan. You must be a friend of Mac’s.”
Ashley scrutinized her
from head to toe. “I’m whatever Mac wants me to be. When he’s tired of you.”
Ashley flounced away, leaving Susan staring.
“Susan, I’m so sorry.
Maybe bringing you here wasn’t such a good idea.”
Susan shook her head.
“Nonsense. I got asked out twice while I was waiting for the wings. I haven’t
had this much attention in years.”
Mac’s eyes narrowed. “If
those guys so much as laid a finger on you…”
“Mac, please. I’m a big
girl. I can take care of myself.” She smirked. “Your friend Ashley is lovely,
though. Nice to know you’re a popular guy.”
Mac let out a slow
breath. “Let’s go eat some wings and talk.” They sat at the high-top
table. “Susan, I only became a Christian
last month. My life before that wasn’t exactly squeaky clean. I’ve spent a lot
of time in places like this, and honestly, a lot of time with girls like
Ashley. I like you, and I’d like to get to know you better, but that’s the kind
of guy I am.”
“Were,” Susan said.
“What?” Mac asked.
“The kind of guy you
were,” Susan corrected. “It doesn’t matter what you did before you became a
Christian. What matters is what you do afterwards.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll try,
but I’ll never be perfect,” Mac said.
“Of course not. Who’d
want you to be? I wouldn’t want to hang out with you if you were. You’d make me
look bad.” She laughed. “Seriously, though. We’re all a work in progress. Ask
God to make you into the person He wants you to be, and He will.”
Mac took a bite of a wing
and his mouth caught fire. He reached for his drink, took a long swig, and
stared as Susan bit a wing and smiled at him.
“Are you kidding me?” Mac
spluttered.
Susan burst out laughing.
“You told me to get them as hot as I could take it.”
Mac laughed until the tears rolled down his cheeks. “Girl, you are something else.”
Karen lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. She works full time as a scientist, but enjoys writing in her spare time whenever she can find some! When not writing (with her left hand), she enjoys baking, volunteering at her church, camping, hiking, playing board games, and reading. She loves reading faith-based stories, because we can all use a happy ending.
If you sign up for her newsletter on her website, you’ll receive a free short story each week, be the first to learn about giveaways, and receive a free book only for email subscribers.
Website (with short-story blog posts)
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https://twitter.com/KarenLMalley
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20700661.Karen_Malley
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https://www.bookbub.com/authors/karen-malley
Welcome back to the round pen, Karen!
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me! I'm excited to share this story. It was a lot of fun to write.
DeleteGlad to have you on Word Wranglers again, Karen!
ReplyDelete