Moments for the Heart

Hey, Weekend Writing Warriors. If you read my blog then you know what type of week I’ve had. But you also know that I am not deterred by the detours I experience. I trust that all that comes my way, there is a purpose behind it. So there is no need to get upset or flustered by it. God has his reasons. I am also neck deep in edits for my next novel that is set to release in October of 2025. This one will be a doozy because I am changing the timeline so I can reduce the wordcount. It sits at 125K and that seems a bit too long. I want to get it below 100K. Wish me luck.

Let’s dive back into Little Reminders. Which has a word count of 80K if you were curious.

God bless everyone, now let’s get into it!!

SYNOPSIS:

Aaron Stephenson loves his job. As food critic for the popular Houston Gazette, he gets to sample the best cuisine at the finest eateries in Houston without paying a dime. And because there are so many great restaurants in Houston, he doesn’t have to visit the same establishment twice… unless he wants to.

But when Aaron stops in at Davies Deli, a non-descript, off-the-beaten-path, family-owned diner, he suddenly realizes he wants to come back;

But it has to do more with the owners’ brown haired, green eyed daughter, Deborah than the delicious food.
Aaron and Deborah feel a mutual attraction. But Deborah has a secret that could change everything.

And then there is Carter…

SNIPPET:

Summary:
This love story novel was born out of a dream I had about an angel leaving nick knacks behind for a couple to find as they walked through an amusement park together. They were reminders about them being a couple because they were struggling. Them finding these ‘little reminders’ drew them back together. The novel also has a dual storyline, in that the MC also has a struggle with their relationship with God, so they are also being drawn back to Him as well. The diner idea came from my personal love for food, writing some of the book sitting in a Denny’s, and working in kitchens for almost 10 years.

Last time I shared it was from the Prologue. Here is the tail end of that before we move on.

Carter took a deep breath and released it. He closed the box and gazed into the distance. The traffic was light, typical for a Wednesday evening. The breeze picked up again, causing the brim of his hat to raise. Two months. Not a lot of time at all.

“So, what do you think?” Carter’s visitor asked once again.

“Ok, Gabriel. I’ll do it.”

We will pick up right were we left off, moving into Chapter One.


Davies Deli was not your typical sandwich shop. Not normal in that it used real bread instead of submarine rolls. It was the complete opposite of chain restaurants like Subway and Quizno’s, but that is what made it unique. To Aaron, what made it extra special was Deborah. Deborah was Mr. and Mrs. Davies, daughter. She worked behind the counter, and the reason Aaron had been a faithful patron for the last couple of weeks.

He first noticed her when she visited mom and pop on Fridays. She helped them with accounting and payroll. But after the regular counter person, Josh, quit, she was asked to cover shifts until a replacement was hired, that was two weeks ago. Now her brown ponytail and deep hazel eyes were a regular sight.

::There is your ten, but let’s continue on and finish the scene.::

The deli intrigued him. It resembled an old-fashioned 60s soda shop, right down to the circular cushioned stools. Aaron pretty much had ‘his spot’ at the end of the long ceramic tiled counter up next to the dessert case. After two and a half weeks, he was convinced that the seat knew him well. It seemed to hug him every time he would take his place. He was even more convinced that he had become attracted to Deborah. Now he just needed the summon up the courage to tell her.

Aaron was a straightforward person. He would tell it like it is and was not afraid to back down from a challenge. Yet, he wasn’t without tact; he knew how and when to express himself without offending the person he was speaking to. People considered him friendly and easy to approach. However, things were different with Deborah. His tongue refused to work whenever he tried to speak to her. He had made a few attempts at conversation, but they often ended after, “Hello.” He had made it to, “How are you?” once, but that was it. Ya, Aaron had it bad, he was like a teenager with a crush.

Aaron couldn’t understand his struggle. Words were his life; he wrote for a living as a columnist for the Houston Gazette. The Gazette was a periodical for locals and tourists that gave them information of what was happening within the city of Houston. His column, Flavors of Houston, was a popular review column on local eateries. Aaron would visit small restaurants, usually family-owned, sample their food and then write a review of his experience.  

Now, the one thing that Aaron was known for was the very thing that defeated him. With Deborah, his mouth would not work, and his mind would go completely blank. It was even getting in the way of writing a proper review. He had originally planned to write his review two weeks ago, but writing it now confused him. Yeah, he loved the place and had planned on giving it several accolades as one of the best sandwiches in the Houston area. But for some reason Deborah clouded his ability to put it on paper, and he could not find the words to write nor to speak.

After the second week of fumbling with the words, he’d had enough. He had to do something. After a drawn-out discussion with the mirror in his apartment, he decided today was the day. He had to just do it. He was going to ask her out.

After writing three books with Aaron, I now read these first sentences with him and see how much he has grown. And how much I have grown as a writer. I would love to edit this book so much. There are many little things I would change. I am sure we all see those details we either notice or dislike about our younger selves. But, Aaron is who he is I suppose. And we both mature as Little Reminders matures.

Aaron describes Davies Deli here. Carolyn, my wife, painted the concept and it was the cover of the second novel, Little Reminders of Who I Was.

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Monday is Memory Monday
We remember an important event that occurred on that Monday or sometime that week.

Tuesday is Two Twenty-Two Tuesday
A weekly vlog where I talk about writing or something that’s been on my heart, all in two minutes and twenty-two seconds. — I am way behind on this… sorry.
This is posted on my YouTube channel.

Wednesday is when I post my blog for the week.
I speak from my heart on various topics from writing to faith.

Thursday is This or That Thursday
A weekly two-option poll that raises the question, do you like this, or do you prefer that?
I host this on this on Twitter, IG, and Facebook.

Friday is Fun Fact Friday
I find and share interesting or obscure facts on my pages.

Saturday is for Weekend Writing Warriors
Saturday is for Snippets from a current piece or past work.

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Featured Titles

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In His Exciting Service,

Jeff S. Bray

Check out amazing established and emerging writers at Weekend Writing Warriors. Each week we post new snippets from either published works or works in progress for each other to comment on. Gain insight into how the mind of a writer works and a behind-the-scenes look at works before they hit bookstands everywhere.

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