Could a nineteenth-century diary be the answer to Abigail’s prayers?
Iris wanted nothing more than to live her own adventure. But on the tails of the Colorado gold rush, a certain discovery could upend her world before it’s even begun.
Over a hundred years later, Abigail Prescott returns to the sleepy mountain town she once called home to help her great Aunt Josie restore the old antique shop, The Glass Cottage. Looking for peace and God’s direction for her life, the last thing she expected to encounter was a ghost from her past—Benjamin Greene—her childhood best friend. The boy who got away.
Is this just a coincidence, or could it be the start of something greater?
Together, Ben and Abigail work to fix up the shop and stumble upon an old journal. With more questions than answers, Abigail embarks on a journey of self-discovery to track down the mysterious Iris, but the truth is not always what it seems.
In this tale of friendship, love lost, and love found, Abigail must decide for herself: Is every story worth saving, and if so, at what cost?
Iris wanted nothing more than to live her own adventure. But on the tails of the Colorado gold rush, a certain discovery could upend her world before it’s even begun.
Over a hundred years later, Abigail Prescott returns to the sleepy mountain town she once called home to help her great Aunt Josie restore the old antique shop, The Glass Cottage. Looking for peace and God’s direction for her life, the last thing she expected to encounter was a ghost from her past—Benjamin Greene—her childhood best friend. The boy who got away.
Is this just a coincidence, or could it be the start of something greater?
Together, Ben and Abigail work to fix up the shop and stumble upon an old journal. With more questions than answers, Abigail embarks on a journey of self-discovery to track down the mysterious Iris, but the truth is not always what it seems.
In this tale of friendship, love lost, and love found, Abigail must decide for herself: Is every story worth saving, and if so, at what cost?
Purchase at: Amazon.
Excerpt:When Aunt Josie invited Abigail along to the after-church picnic, she hadn’t envisioned herself climbing a tree to retrieve a lost soccer ball—let alone falling out of it.
She reluctantly opened her eyes with a groan, and blue sky greeted her. She prayed no one had witnessed the mortifying incident, but in a small town, people noticed everything. Surely, someone had seen her race after that lost ball, slip off the branch and land with an oomph on the grassy field below.
The pounding of small footsteps proved her worst fears. Two sets of eyes gazed down at her, each framed by baby fine strawberry blonde hair. Abigail must have hit her head in the fall because she couldn’t seem to bring the faces into focus. She reached up to rub her temples, and the double images danced out of her vision. Abigail clamped her lids shut. She hadn’t landed that hard, had she?
“Are you okay?”
The question echoed in her ears, and she lifted her head too quickly. There it was, the pounding headache. And she no doubt had a nice bump forming along her hairline to go with it.
She hadn’t remembered the cottonwood to be so tall when she’d offered to go up and retrieve the ball, but it had obviously grown in the ten years since she had last climbed it—and fallen from it. The soccer ball sure bounced back quicker than she did.
She pushed herself up from the ground, slower this time, and leaned back with her forearms propped on the grass. Too much movement too soon. Fuzzy spots blotted her vision. A wave of dizziness washed over her, forcing her to close her eyes again.
A pair of steady hands landed on her shoulders. “Don’t try getting up too quickly.” Concern tinged his voice, and the masculine timbre broke through her foggy brain. With care, he eased her into a more supported position. “Do you think you hit your head?”
Her hand reflexively moved to the knot. “Yeah, I think so.”
Her fingers touched the tender flesh, and she winced. That would definitely hurt for a few days.
“Can you try opening your eyes again, slowly this time?”
She did just that, and as her lids opened, a familiar pair of hazel eyes stared back at her.
Benjamin Greene.
Abigail wanted to disappear back into the tree’s top branches. The first time Ben saw her in nearly ten years, and he had to witness her falling out of a tree! Way to go, Abigail! Could you be any more of a klutz?
Maybe he wouldn’t recognize her right away. People changed over time, and besides, her bangs and short hair were brand new. If glasses could disguise Superman’s true identity, an entire new hairstyle should work in her favor. It still wasn’t ideal, but if she could only postpone the inevitable embarrassment a while longer, she would be eternally grateful.
She hadn’t realized he had been kneeling so close, but his face was near enough she could feel his breath tickle the hair at her chin.
He wrapped a strong arm around her back and helped her sit up. “How’s that?”
“Better.” Sigh. Good, at least she could see straight this time, but sitting this close to him with his intent gaze made her feel a dizziness she was pretty sure was not because of the fall.
“I thought for a second there I was seeing double images of that little girl.” She rubbed her temple and squinted at the bright sun overhead.
Her gaze roved over the picnickers, and two red-headed girls skipped past the dessert table. Maybe she needed a CAT scan.
The corners of Ben’s eyes creased, eyes like the moss-covered boulders they used to climb as kids. He let out a soft chuckle and shook loose a curl of hair.
“What?” she asked. “Why are you laughing at me?”
“No, sorry. Kit and Brie are identical twins. It’s understandable, though. The pair of them make a habit of playing jokes on people from time to time.” He turned back to look at her again, and his mouth tipped in a knowing smile. A glimpse of the boy she used to know appeared. “You always knew how to make an entrance.”
Caught. A lead weight settled in her stomach, the final cherry on top of her embarrassment. So much for making it out unrecognized.
Contemporary romance author Alyssa Schwarz is a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines with a Master's in Geology & Geological Engineering. She also works as a professional watercolor artist along the Colorado Front Range and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Alyssa's debut novel, The Glass Cottage, is set in the Colorado mountains, and is scheduled to release later this year.
Author Interview:
Q: What was the inspiration behind The Glass Cottage?
Alyssa: Since my family is from Colorado, I wanted to start there. After stumbling upon my grandma’s old journals in the attic of her house, I thought it would be fun to write a story based on an old forgotten diary.
Alyssa: Since my family is from Colorado, I wanted to start there. After stumbling upon my grandma’s old journals in the attic of her house, I thought it would be fun to write a story based on an old forgotten diary.
Q: How long did it take you to write this novel?
Alyssa: I started writing this story last Summer, and between the plotting, writing, editing and everything else, it’s taken a little over a year to complete.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from this novel?
Alyssa: My favorite line has to be the last sentence from the end of the book: “This was home. She knew it before as she knew it now, but it had never tasted so sweet.”
Q: What do you hope readers take away from The Glass Cottage?
Alyssa: When the world seems to pull at us from all directions, leaving us questioning and worried about the future, I hope readers can escape into this story and learn what it means to trust God, even with the unknowns.
For every story, I try and find a Bible verse that mirrors the themes I hope to explore through those characters. I want to show how, in any circumstance, God is at work in our lives, even when we don’t understand what He is doing. “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)
Q: Would you share something about yourself that most readers would not know?
Alyssa: I actually have a background in geology and engineering. Before I started writing, I worked as a hydrogeologist doing groundwater modeling testing for a environmental engineering firm.
Q: What are you reading now?
Alyssa: I just finished reading Roseanna White’s latest book, The Nature of A Lady. I absolutely loved reading her first book in The Secret of the Isles series. Mistaken identities, mystery and intrigue, a sweet romance, and pirate treasure, all set against the backdrop of the British Isles of Scilly. What’s not to love?!
Q: How many bookcases are in your home?
Alyssa: I actually had to walk around my house and count them in order to answer this question… I have four ceiling height bookcases the line an entire wall, and there are about five others throughout the house.
Q: What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Alyssa: My mom and I have our own art business. We are both watercolor artists and have been privileged to showcase some of our artwork through the Denver Metro area. I also love to hike and have recently taken up gardening. Two years ago, I saw the most beautiful dahlias in Washington’s San Juan Islands, and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since. After digging up a half-a-ton of soil, engineering a raised flower bed, and planting two dozen bulbs, I finally have my dahlia garden!
Connect with Alyssa:
Website: www.alyssaschwarzauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralyssaschwarz/
