I am so excited to share this exclusive excerpt with you! Everything about this story pulls me in, but there is a quote in this excerpt I absolutely love, so I’ve bolded it below for you to spot. Enjoy, and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts when you read this book!
“You said you’ve published before?” I hear the question in his voice.
“Yes. Mostly romance novels.”
“And that’s easier to write than this?” His curiosity is painted in the lines on his face. We’ve stopped walking and are now standing on the sidewalk in the middle of town, hands still holding.
“Yes. It’s fiction,” I state matter-of-factly.
“And fiction is easier to write?” he still asks.
“Of course. I make up stories, I write lies about difficult relationships that find perfect endings. Everything is forgivable in fiction.”
His eyes narrow, scrutinizing me. “And not everything is capable of forgiveness in real life?”
I simply shrug.
“Isn’t this what you do with your clients? Guide them in finding forgiveness, among other things?”
“Yeah.” I realize how contradictory my statement is.
“Tell me, why can’t we forgive in real life what we’re capable of forgiving in made up stories?”
“Because fictional hearts are more compassionate than real ones.” Even I hear the uncertainty in my words. The question I’m begging him to answer.
“You write compassion into your characters, so you must believe the characters are redeemable. If they can forgive, then you must pull that from inside of you. A part of you that also forgives.”
“Because fictional hearts
are more compassionate
than real ones.”
“I used to think so.” How did we get to this? He asked about my book, why did I lead the conversation down a jagged path of buried hatred?
As if sensing my discomfort, he smiles. “You’re capable of forgiveness, Navia. You’ll get this book done, and I’m sure it will be a great success.”
We begin walking again in silence, the chill in the night sky cooling me from the heat burning in my center. I gaze up at the sky and, although this town isn’t as isolated as the middle of a mountain, I see twinkling stars dancing in the black paint streaked across the sky.
I’ve always wanted to live in the sky, with the stars as my neighbors. Sometimes I forget that I do live on this earthly plane. That the things I want to grasp are millions of miles away, in a different world. And tonight’s conversation is a sure reminder that I’m firmly rooted to this planet.
Sometimes living is too heavy.
When I shiver, Matthias tugs my arm until I’m close to him and swings his arm around my shoulder. This may be the first night we go out, but it feels like home.
—All My Truths & One Lie © Fabiola Francisco
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Fabiola Francisco 