ALL IS BRIGHT and the follow up LOVE, ACCIDENTALLY are two linked short e-stories by Sarah Pekkanen

Two sides to the story: The old girlfriend and the new girlfriend.

 

All Is Bright by Sarah Pekkanen

(Elise’s point of view)

Washington Square Press (December 21, 2010)

47 pages

Kindle Short Reads/Contemporary Fiction/Women’s Fiction/Family Life

Thirty-year-old Elise Andrews couldn’t bring herself to marry Griffin, her childhood friend turned sweetheart, so she let him walk away. Eight months after their breakup, she arrives in her hometown of Chicago on Christmas Eve and hears a voice from the past calling her name in the grocery store. It’s Griffin’s mother, Janice, who invites Elise over for a neighborhood gathering of eggnog and carols. Walking into Janice’s house sends Elise tumbling headlong into memories of her relationship with Griffin—and with Janice, who exudes the kind of warmth Elise ached for after her own mom passed away when she was six. But Griffin has moved on, and suddenly Elise doubts her decision to give him up and lose her chance at being folded into his wonderful family. Confused and reeling, she goes in search of an answer to a universal question: How do we say good-bye to people we’ve loved without losing everything they’ve meant to us? Heartwarming and witty, All Is Bright is a charming story about coming home for the holidays—and finding gifts in the most unexpected of places.

 

AMAZON

 

REVIEW

Very short story, well told and packs a punch. This is the old girlfriend’s story. Elise and Grif have been friends since childhood, dated on and off for many years. She wasn’t ready to marry; it was never that kind of love for her. A visit back to her hometown to spend time with her Grandma during the Christmas holidays, Elise runs into Grifs parents who have always looked out for her. She learns that Grif has moved on and just got engaged. This news brings a range of emotions while acknowledging she was more afraid of losing his mom than of losing him.

NOTE:  The other side of the story continues in Love, Accidentally; the new girlfriends Ilsa’s point of view.

 

Love, Accidentally by Sarah Pekkanen

(Ilsa’s point of view)

Washington Square Press (December 13, 2011)

60 pages

Kindle Short Reads/Contemporary Fiction/Women’s Fiction/Family Life

Ilsa Brown wasn’t expecting a little, injured dog to lead her to the love of her life. But within months of their first meeting on a street corner in L.A., she and Grif, the dog’s owner, are engaged. Things between them are so blissful that Ilsa is stunned by the tension that erupts during their visit to Chicago to meet his parents, where she discovers that Grif’s old girlfriend, Elise, is still woven into his family. What Ilsa needs to know before she can walk down the aisle is whether Elise is still in Grif’s heart, too.

Featuring a character from Sarah Pekkanen’s original eBook short story All Is Bright, Love, Accidentally is surprising and heartfelt. It’s a story about taking chances and choosing hope, and discovering what it means to love someone—and to let go of someone you love.

 

AMAZON

 

REVIEW

A story of Ilse dealing with the knowledge that an old girlfriend has years of history and memories in her new fiancée life and family. Overcoming those visions and realizing that she and Grif have memories to make ahead of them. I thought the meeting of the two women was done very well. A very short but complete read.

NOTE:  The other side of the story begins in All Is Bright ; the old girlfriends Elise’s point of view.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SARAH PEKKANEN is the internationally and USA Today bestselling author of seven previous novels. A former investigative journalist and feature writer, her work has been published in The Washington Post, USA Today, and many others. She is the mother of three sons and lives just outside Washington, D.C.

http://www.sarahpekkanen.com/

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