Parallels by Linda Gonschior - Blog Tour, Excerpt and Giveaway

Today I’m welcoming Linda Gonschior to the blog. I have featured her work previously as part of the anthology Then Comes Winter but today she joins us with the blog tour for part 3 of her Reflections series, Parallels. This is a modernised story based on Pride & Prejudice and begins with Reflections, followed by A Tarnished Image, and the story concludes in Parallels. Linda joins us here with an excerpt and giveaway of the story. 

Book Description

Love, heartbreak, and self-discovery
are life’s greatest challenges,
no matter who your parents may be.

Will and Elizabeth Darcy faced those challenges twenty years earlier, yet marriage taught them patience, understanding, and most importantly, the irreplaceable value of one another. Now their children are about to embark upon that path, hopefully to learn those lessons more gently and avoid the mistakes of their parents.

This third book in the Reflections series brings to a conclusion the story of a couple whose love drew them together in spite of themselves and continues to test them when least expected.

Introduction from Linda Gonschior 

Thank you, Ceri, for being part of the blog tour for Parallels!

So far in this tour I’ve given teasing glimpses into some of the relationships of this Darcy family; father/son, brother/sister. Today we’ll take a look at how our dear couple is coping as parents of young adults.

Will and Elizabeth have been married for more than twenty years, their relationship has matured and in essentials their characters have not changed. Did they mellow with age? Or are they more like cheddar, grown sharper over time? I believe Will and Elizabeth have found balance in their relationship. When one is highly charged, the other assumes the role of supporter, or sometimes devil’s advocate.  It’s entirely dependent on the situation and what may be at stake.

In this scene they struggle with something many parents will find familiar.

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Excerpt from Parallels 

The first morning of the New Year was not necessarily a good one for some members of the Darcy household. Ben and Will were up early as usual, and Rich joined them at the breakfast table soon afterwards, but the ladies weren’t as enthusiastic about participating in the morning meal. Although Elizabeth felt quite rested, she preferred to spend an extra few hours in bed, taking advantage of the rare opportunity. Kathleen, not unexpectedly, chose to keep to her room. It seemed that Anna had experienced a bout of sleeplessness in the wee hours, judging from the number of times her light came on and went off. She would likely be sleeping until noon or later.

Rebecca, however, was simply not to be found. Will unhappily came to the conclusion that his daughter had not returned home the previous night. On one hand, he could be pleased that she made the right choice not to drive if she had consumed a little too much alcohol. On the other, she wasn’t old enough to be drinking in the first place, and his mind shuddered to contemplate just where and with whom Rebecca might have spent the night.

“Any idea where this party was that Rebecca went to last night?” Will asked his eldest son.

Ben looked up from his plate. “I think she mentioned a ‘Dan.’”

“That would be Dan Pritchard. He’s one of the grooms,” offered Rich between mouthfuls of his cereal.

Ben cast a cautious look at his father.

“She isn’t home yet,” Will muttered as he stabbed at his own breakfast with his fork.

Ben knew that look. He also knew his sister, and that she, of all of them, was the one who would never do anything stupid. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’m sure it’s just because she was too tired to drive home. She’ll probably be here before long.” His father merely grunted in reply. Ben applied himself to his breakfast. He wanted to make sure that Will didn’t go storming out of the house in search of Rebecca. He was a little relieved when his mother joined them a few minutes later; at least she trusted Rebecca’s judgement.

“I thought you were going to spend a lazy morning in bed,” Will said.

“I changed my mind.” Elizabeth filled her plate and took a seat next to her husband. “I remembered something I forgot to tell you last night.”

Will’s eyebrow rose. “Oh?”

Elizabeth calmly spread butter on her toast. “Yes. Rebecca called to say she was staying at Heather’s house for the night.”

Will’s fork clattered to his plate. “You forgot to tell me? Elizabeth, I was ready to—” He paused, glancing at Rich staring open-mouthed at them. Will frowned. “You’re finished, aren’t you Rich?” He stared hard at his son. “Aren’t you?”

Rich hurriedly put down his spoon and excused himself. Will turned his attention towards Ben.

“I’m going,” he said and quickly followed his younger brother.

“Elizabeth,” Will began in a clipped voice.

“I’m sorry I forgot to tell you, Will. It just slipped my mind.” Elizabeth concentrated on her food.

Will took a couple of calming breaths. “It just slipped your mind. You knew how I’d feel about her not coming home.”

Elizabeth placed her hand on his and looked into his eyes. “That’s why I came downstairs to tell you now. I didn’t want you to do anything…um…”

“Rash? You consider my wanting to protect my girls as rash behaviour?”

“You’re blowing it out of proportion, Will.”

He let out a derisive snort. “I don’t think so. Have you forgotten your reaction the first time Ben stayed out all night? He didn’t even call to let us know. You must think I’m a simpleton, especially after what happened with Kathleen!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Will!” Elizabeth snapped. “I don’t think anything of the sort. We’re not talking about Ben or Kathleen. We’re talking about Rebecca. Both she and Anna have had a scare with what happened to Kathleen. Don’t you go thinking they are simpletons either!”

Will was silent. He picked up his fork once more and continued eating. Neither of them said another word through the meal.

Rebecca sauntered through the front door just before eleven o’clock. She popped her head around the library door, expecting to see her parents in there so she could let them know she was back. She was, therefore, not surprised to see them sitting side-by-side on the sofa, both with books in their hands.

“I’m home,” she called. Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and smiled. Will looked over his shoulder and frowned. Rebecca sighed. They never change.

**

What do you think, mellow or sharper? Or have they not changed in all that time?

Thank you for coming on this ride with me. I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am!

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Author Bio 

Linda Gonschior has entertained the art of writing since elementary school but never allowed it to come to fruition until Pride and Prejudice lured her into deeper exploration of characters, relationships and 'what ifs'.  Writing is not the breadwinner, however, as she has a day job and many other interests that compete for attention and time.  Still, she has managed to squeeze in several dozen stories – long and short – and there are many more in the ‘incomplete’ folder on the computer.  As retirement looms on the horizon, some may be dusted off to evaluate their potential to entertain those who share a fondness for Jane Austen’s characters and don’t mind straying a little off the beaten path.

Amongst her accomplishments Linda counts raising a son, stage managing live theatre productions, flower gardening, and website administration, but not netting purses or painting screens.

Facebook Author Page

  

Buy Links 

Parallels is available to buy now in Paperback, Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

• Amazon US • Amazon UK • Amazon CA • Add to Goodreads shelf

As noted above, Parallels is book 3 in the Reflections series - here's a link to the whole series so you can check out the other books - Goodreads

 

Giveaway Time!

 

Meryton Press is giving away eight eBooks of Parallels. The giveaway is international. The giveaway ends at 11.59pm on 17 June.

 

Please use the Rafflecopter to enter.

 

Note about comments:  If you have any problems adding your comment please contact me and I will add your comment for you :)

Parallels Blog Tour Schedule

June 7 Donadee’s Corner

June 8 My Vices and Weaknesses

June 9 Diary of an Eccentric

June 10 From Pemberley to Milton

June 11 Babblings of a Bookworm

June 14 My Jane Austen Book Club

June 15 Probably at the Library

 

 

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