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 with the delicious food.
Aaron and Deborah feel a mutual attraction. But Deborah has a secret that could change everything.
And then there is Carter…
Little Reminders of Who I Am is available on Amazon!!
Thank you to everyone who is making Little Reminders a fast success. I’ve been told it is a mix of a Hallmark movie and It’s a Wonderful Life. A humbling and wonderful comparison. I pray that as you begin your journey though this book that you are blessed by what you read and that you will be encouraged through the characters. Each of them has their own awakening and I trust that you will relate to at least one of them.
I would love to hear about your experience with Little Reminders. Shoot me an email, leave a comment here, or better yet, leave a review of the book wherever you purchased it so others can be encouraged to pick up the book for themselves.
Thank you again for all your support. And to God be the glory should any of you find your little reminder back into His arms.
In His Exciting Service,
Jeff S. Bray
Little Reminders Updates:
07/2021: Little Reminders of Who I has received a FireBird Award for 2021 in the area of Christian Romance. I was excited to be selected to receive this honor.
8/12/2020: Release Day!! Can’t believe the day is finally here. It has been a long journey. And now you get to finally read Little Reminders for yourself. It is now available on Amazon and other book sellers. The links are a bit wonky, but that will be lined out in a few days as Amazon gets the different formats connected. Little Reminders of Who I Am will be available in Hardcover, Paperback and Kindle formats.
I am really excited for this book. As I have said, I feel it will appeal to a much larger crowd than The Five Barred Gate. It is at its heart a love story. So, what TFBG was to the male crowd, Little Reminders will be to the female. So get over to Amazon and grab your copy. It looks like there is little delay, even with COVID, but I cannot be sure.
8/9/2020: It has been a productive weekend my friends. Received the formatted copy of Little Reminders with the suggested edits on Friday. That night I started my read through and spent most of Saturday completing the edits–sorry Carolyn. I submitted the final draft to my publisher on Saturday at around 11PM. It was a long day and my eyes were a blur, but Little Reminders is complete and ready for printing. We are definitely a go for Wednesday’s planned release. I will have more on that as we get closer. If it proves to be like last time, it should be up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble sometime on Wednesday. I will keep you posted.
8/3/2020:
7/31/2020: BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!! Check it out!! The cover for Little Reminders of Me has been approved and is now official!! The above Synopsis has been updated as well. The full wrap is under review and is going through final edits now.
Here is the cover!!
7/31/2020: We are still looking at an August 12th release date. For those of you who missed it here is the excerpt from my novel that I posted back in April of this year. LITTLE REMINDERS EXCERPT
7/14/2020: Still on standby. Although I am still being assured that we are somewhat on track for release. I don’t believe it will be the aforementioned August 12, and my publisher has yet to discuss dates, but he has stated I am not forgotten and that the wheels are in motion. He has also stated that the cover designers are working with the above design to see what they can do with it. I don’t know if that means they have accepted it, or what, but I am praying it is a good sign. That is all I know right now, just wanted to give y’all an update since we are less than a month from the prospected release date.
4/21/2020: Well with the Coronavirus outbreak, everything is on hold right now, but that does not mean that progress has not being made on Little Reminders. I do have a release date of August 12, 2020. No word on whether they will use the above artwork for the cover. But the release date is there and the countdown has begun. I can start to market as we get closer, especially after they get me the cover design. August will come fast and I am excited about my second novel release. I cant wait for this one to get to y’all. This was fun to write and I think will be a better seller than The Five Barred Gate.
2/21/2020: Spoke to WordCrafts Press briefly today. I had mentioned to Mike that I am looking to do an Author Expo in May. He stated that to have Little Reminders out by then was a possibility.
So, hopefully that is a soft date. Sometime in May. Just a couple of months out.
2/17/2020: Little Reminders is now in the hands of WordCrafts Press. I submitted it this morning and now we wait. This, as many of you already know it the most grueling of times. I already know it is going to be published, it is just a matter of when.
I am really excited about this one. I want to say almost more excited about it than The Five Barred Gate. I guess it is a different type of excitement. The first was the exploration of the unknown. This time is the expectation of what is to come. I know this novel will appeal to a greater crowd than TFBG did. So that is exciting.
Now comes the empty feeling all authors get when they complete a project. I have spent many evenings editing, revising, changing, moving around, and second guessing myself, and now, its complete, done, in the books. Now, what do I do?
Yes, a sequel is in mind, but not now. I need to let my mind settle down from this one. I have another piece that has a plot and introduction written, but I am not sure if I want to write it at this point. It is another change of direction and much darker writing. Not sure if I am up to it. We will see. Where ever God guides me.
Again, thanks for all your support and I will write again once I have an update for Little Reminders release date.
2/3/2020: I am 14 chapters through the second round of editing 20 more to go. Moving along and hope to get this done in the next couple of weeks. It has gone by pretty quickly, but I have not hit the areas where I wanted to make some adjustment. I am happy that I have had to make very few changes. I did find one major error, but it was an easy fix.
Now were into a new week and editing slows down with my writing job. The good news there is that I may pick up another contract. I should find out sometime tomorrow. Keep me in prayer for that. Until then, it is writing away with what I have now and waiting to hear from the four apps I have out there now.
1/25/2020: UPDATE!!! The first round of editing is complete. This stage was the grammatical, spellcheck, and punctuation checking. Now the second stage is the read through. This is where I go through it to see if my thoughts are clear and to find plot holes, inconsistencies, and to find where i need to add or delete things. I have several notes, so there are already plans in store.
I am further behind than I want to be. But I am not going to let it get me down. I knew this was going to take some time and I will not rush it and put out a substandard piece of work. I owe it to myself, my publisher, and you as the reader.
So, keep your eyes on FB for updates as to the progress of this book.
1/2/2020: Now that we are in a new year and that NaNoWriMo is a distant memory, I can now begin editing Little Reminders. If you do not know, or do not remember, once the month of November is complete, the “rules” of NaNoWriMo are that you let your novel sit for the month of December and you go about life to clear your head. Then come January you come back around with fresh eyes and begin your editing process.
I did finish late, 8 days to be exact. But I did complete 50K words in the 30 day allotment. I ended up with 78K words and 36 chapters. I have edited 4 chapters so far and am excited to get back into this. Now to remember where I was two months ago and to recall where the hiccups are. As always, keep me in prayers that I can convey God’s message through this novel.
Novel Concept painted by Carolyn
11/20/2019: Ten days to go and I a little discouraged that I am not as far as I would like to be. But after yesterday I am sitting at 32K words and 16 Chapters complete. Although I guess it would not be a bad thing to have a shorter piece. After all, TFBG had quite a bit of action to it. This one is more laid back and making it too long could hurt the story. We will see in another week as I am on the downhill slide of the game.
I still ask for your prayers to see me through these final days. Thank you for your support.
11/11/2019: Well, just eleven days into November, just shy of halfway through NaNoWriMo, I am sitting at 22K words with 11 Chapters complete. I feel I am about a third of the way through the story. I am feeling this will end up being the length of The Five Barred Gate. (65K words and 30 chapters)
Keep me in your prayers that I can convey the message of God’s love through this book. Thank you for your support.
11/6/2019: Wow. So much to do. Getting ready for my book signing event for JISD Food Locker. This is an amazing cause that I get to be part of. I don’t know what to expect as for turn out. A cold front is supposed to blow through with rain and wind, may keep people away; we will see what happens. LROWIA is coming along. 12K words now. Story is coming together nicely. I still covet your prayers, I don’t want this to be just another love story, or a copy of what others have done. I strive for it to be unique and touch lives.
11/1/2019: I begin with an outline, character dossiers, and a plot. Yes, two or three chapters are written, but am revisiting them as I have changed a few things through the outlining process. I find myself excited to begin this adventure. Just like 2016 and The Five Barred Gate, only this time, I have a better grip on what I am doing. And this time, I know what to expect upon completion. I also have a publisher waiting for this to be complete. Keep me in your prayers that I allow God to flow through each word I write and that He gets all the glory through the storyline.
Moments for the Heart 