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November 4, 2016

THANKSGIVING EVE by Jay Brandon


proudly brings you


THANKSGIVING EVE
by
Jay Brandon

IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK
TO PERFORM A HOLIDAY MIRACLE


  
ABOUT THE BOOK


Ray Seymour receives frightening news from his doctor on Christmas Eve. He goes home, feeling sad and angry, to confront the tense atmosphere of his home. His wife, eight-year-old daughter, and fifteen-year-old son remain separate, not cohering into a family. Ray resolves to make things better in whatever time he has left. Unfortunately, his time has run out. Ray dies that evening.
Ray returns to life to find he's been given time to try to reconcile his family. He sets out to make them love him so much they'll feel terrible when he's gone.
Ray still has to deal with his next-door neighbor, who knows about his time-travelling, his sarcastic sister, hostile ex-wife, and childish daughter. There’s too much to fix and not enough time. And what about that homeless man near the mall who keeps turning up?
Holiday miracles are a lot of work.
 

Product Details

  • Paperback: 154 pages
  • Publisher: Black Rose Writing; First Printing edition (October 27, 2016)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1612967736
  • ISBN-13: 978-1612967738
AUTHOR
Jay Brandon is the author of 18 novels. His previous novel, Shadow Knight's Mate, has been called "an absorbing, exciting, and absolutely entertaining novel." His earlier novels include Fade the Heat, which as an Edgar finalist and published in more than a dozen foreign countries. His short story A Jury of His Peers was included in The Best American Mystery Stories. He has a master's degree in writing from John's Hopkins University.


MY THOUGHTS
 Christmas Eve brings some very bad news for Ray Seymour.   His time is running out.    He leaves the doctor's office to go home to what should be a loving close family.  Not!  A wife, daughter and son go their own ways, don't converge as a family.   Ray vows to change this in his remaining time.  But does he have that time?  
The author gives the reader a reincarnation of Ray Seymour.  He gets to come back and try to solve the family's problems.  But is it the family he's trying to put back together?   Or is Ray trying to make them feel bad for when he dies again?  He wants to make them love him so much they will feel guilty for not bonding as a family.
Then the author gives the reader an interesting family next door.   Someone who knows too much and has too much baggage going on himself.    Interesting character and I mean "character".
Ray has a lot on his plate and wants to fix it all, but can anybody fix it all?   Ray's time is running low.
I was intrigued by the homeless man the author put in the mix.  Who is he and how does he fit in to the story?
 As I read, I couldn't figure out if Ray was selfish or selfless?   The author gives the reader a lot to think about.   Such as family, how you can't fix and make everything alright.  
I found the book to go at a steady pace, giving the reader enough time to try to figure the characters out.  Interesting characters, especially Ray and the homeless man.  I want to know more about this homeless man.

(from book)
Inside the bus station, the homeless man watched them go. Then he took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the brown makeup from his face revealing a pale, bony countenance in which the now-wise blue eyes looked at home. Then he looked around for a private place to doff these rags and spread his wings.

That gave me cause to  think.  Spreading his wings, what do you think that may mean?
Great book for the holiday season to reflect on family, friends, neighbors, faith and oh, so much else.   A person can always dream about fixing it all, making everything work and the possibility of coming back and re-doing what you may have done wrong.
Wouldn't it be nice to say when you're asked what you want for Christmas and reply, nothing, I have it all?
Grab a copy and see what you think. 



I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, Jay Brandon and Word Slinger Publicity and voluntarily decided to review the book.

I would give this book 5  STARS. 




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