Welcome Wednesday
Today, I have the pleasure of spotlighting my dear friend and fantastic Author Janet K. Brown's latest novel.
This is a lovely cover. Such a sweet smile.
Back Cover Blurb:
How can a woman who gives to everyone but herself accept God’s love and
healing when she believes she’s fat, unworthy, and unfixable? Can she be Worth Her Weight?
LACEY CHANDLER helps her mother, her
sister, her friend, and then she binges on food and wonders is there really a
God?
BETTY CHANDLER hates being handicapped and
useless, so she lashes out at the daughter that helps, and the God who doesn’t
seem to care.
TOBY WHEELER loves being police chief in
Wharton Rock, but when the devil invades the small town, he can’t release
control.
Is God enough in
Wharton Rock?
Excerpt from Worth Her Weight
By six, Lacey arrived home, ready to
flop. Her mother sat on a chair in the kitchen, her cane propped against her.
Lacey carried in the pizza boxes and
set them on the table.
Rachel clapped her hands and climbed
into a chair beside her grandma.
Without a word, Mom held out a letter
to Lacey.
A cold shiver shook her—the same
foreboding she had sensed in the morning. “What’s this?”
Her mother shrugged. “Came in today’s
mail.”
Lacey opened it, her Mom watching as
she read.
She threw the paper across the room.
It bounced halfway back to her. “Well, if that doesn’t take the cake.” She
paced, her heels clicking on the scratched and scarred kitchen tiles. The noise
level grew louder when she snatched plates from the cabinet and dropped them to
the table.
“Save the dishes.” Mom’s tone was
dry, with no humor.
Something like a growl escaped
Lacey’s lips. “Katie makes the messes. Lacey cleans them up. Isn’t that right,
Mom?” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her mother. “Did you
know about this?” Her fingers began drumming on her opposite forearm. Her jaw
got so tight, it hurt.
Her mother shook her head. She
glanced at Rachel.
The anger was difficult for Lacey to
swallow, but she tried. “Sweetie, go wash your hands before we eat.”
The child scooted a chair toward the
sink.
Lacey halted her. “Go to the bathroom
and use the stool there.” Her voice shook from her effort at control.
Rachel looked at the pizza with
longing, but she obeyed.
The pepperoni and mozzarella aroma permeated
the house. Nausea churned in Lacey’s stomach despite how good it smelled.
“Has Katie gone?” Mom asked with a
soft tone.
In contrast, Lacey nearly yelled. “Of
course, she has!”
The lines in Mom’s face seemed to
deepen. Her skin paled. Lacey was sure the cane was the only thing that kept
Mom from falling as she coped with the pain inflicted by her favorite daughter.
The fight had gone out of Lacey. Her
knees wobbled. She eased into a chair and nodded. “She wants me to have custody
of Rachel. She doesn’t even want her own daughter, Mom. What kind of woman
walks away from her flesh and blood?”
Both women turned when a whimper came
from the living room.
Heat rushed up Lacey’s neck. She
jumped up and ran, wishing she could erase her careless words.
Rachel curled into a ball on the
sofa, her right thumb inserted firmly in her mouth.
“Aunt Lacey’s sorry. I didn’t mean
what I said.”
Rachel sucked harder, pulling it out
momentarily to speak. “Is my mama coming to get me today?”
“No, sweetheart, not today. Maybe
another day.” She patted her niece’s bare legs.
There was no sound except the
sucking. Lacey sat on the floor patting and wondering what to say or do. A clap
of thunder reminded her of the unsettled clouds. “I need to go close my car
windows. I’ll be right back.”
She ran outside, started the car, and
raised her driver’s side window. Just as she got back inside, the downpour
began.
Mom still sat at the kitchen table,
her head in her hands. She rose, grabbing her cane. Red puffy eyes alerted
Lacey to her mother’s tears, something that seldom happened.
Compassion knocked at Lacey’s heart,
but she locked it out, when she realized the tears were all for Katie.
Lacey sat on the floor beside Rachel.
“You ready for some pizza?” Lacey wanted kids one day, but she wanted her own
with a husband by her side. She couldn’t attract a man, but now she had a
child.
Mom plopped into her recliner. “Do
you think food will fix everything?”
“Works for me.” Lacey tried a teasing
note. “Whenever things go wrong, food makes it better.” She huffed at Mom and
grimaced. “Didn’t you know that?” Good thing she hadn’t planned on the cruise.
She crunched up the pamphlet and threw it in the trash along with a few other
dreams. She’d stay fat and lonely.
What was she going to do with a four-year-old?
PRE-ORDER DISCOUNT AVAILABLE NOW
Pen-L is offering a 10% discount if pre-ordered before
Christmas. Since it will release on Dec. 16, in most cases, it can still be
shipped and received in time for Christmas delivery.
Author Bio:
Janet K. Brown lives in Wichita Falls, Texas
with her husband, Charles. Writing became her second career after retirement
from medical coding.
Worth Her Weight will be the author’s
debut inspirational women’s fiction, but it makes a perfect companion to her
recently released, Divine Dining: 365
Devotions to Guide You to Healthier Weight and Abundant Wellness. Both
books encompass her passion for diet, fitness, and God’s Word.
Worth
Her Weight marks Brown’s third book. Who knew she had a penchant for teens
and ghosts? She released her debut novel, an inspirational young adult, Victoria and the Ghost, in July, 2012.
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Happy Reading!