I’m participating in the A to Z blogger challenge this year. Since April also is the anniversary month for the release of my novel, ’Til Death Do Us Part, I thought I’d use that for the theme of my posts. For each letter I will come up with a word that is pertinent to the story, and post a short excerpt featuring it.

In general these excerpts will bounce around the timeline (after all, the story isn’t told in alphabetical order). No worries, I’ll give a little context leading into each scene so it won’t be necessary to read the others to enjoy the snippet-of-the-day.

F is for Fiji

Henry was heading to Fiji on a research trip when the plane crashed and he and three other survivors (Buddy, Devon, and Garrett) washed up on a small uncharted island. At its heart, ’Til Death Do Us Part is a love story between Henry and Sam. Since they are separated for a good chunk of the story, the chapters mostly alternate between their points of view. The A-E scenes have all been from Henry’s 1st-person POV, but this scene takes place two years after the crash and is told from Sam’s 3rd-person POV:

Sam remembered laughing at some of the last words Henry had ever spoken to him. “We’ll Skype tomorrow. Compare notes on Fiji’s weather with the rain we’re expecting here in Seattle,” he’d said. That had been quintessential Henry, joking to lighten the mood whenever Sam was worried or down. He missed that, but with his grief therapy group sessions coming to an end, he was handling it better. Rather than make him sad, the memory brought a small smile to his face.

A knock on the door brought Sam out of his reverie. That would be Regina. His family didn’t want him driving. It was the second anniversary of the accident that had taken Henry from him. They’d planned a family gathering at his parent’s house, so Sam wouldn’t stay home alone, watching whatever sad anniversary documentaries that might show up on TV.

“How are you doing?” she asked without preamble, moving in swiftly to embrace him.

Sam put his arms around his sister and gave her a squeeze. “I’ll be okay.”

Blurb

Henry and Sam Miller-Greene are living the dream. They love their careers — which afford each of them opportunities to travel to exotic locations — they love their home, Sam’s caring family, and each other. They disagree on the subject of adoption, but are fully committed to each other in marriage … ’Til Death Do Us Part.

The dream is shattered when Henry’s plane crashes, and he’s presumed dead. But four people — Henry, two other men, and a child — survive undetected on a remote, small, and insignificant island. Will Sam and Henry’s love be able to survive as well?

Henry fights to endure in harsh conditions, never knowing when disaster will strike. Sam struggles with his loss, but with help moves on with his life. Will Sam be able to put aside his new love when he reunites with Henry?

Info & Links: ’Til Death Do Us Part