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TITLE: Jonathan’s Promise
SERIES: Jonathan Trilogy: Book Two
AUTHOR: Hans M. Hirschi
PUBLISHER: Beaten Track Publishing
COVER ARTIST: Natasha Snow
LENGTH: 214 Pages
RELEASE DATE: March 31, 2016
BLURB: Jonathan made Dan a promise – a promise that will affect the remainder of his life. But what does he have left to live for?
When their grandson Parker and his fiancé Cody move in with him, the three of them embark on a journey to shed light on Dan’s roots.
A heart-warming sequel to Jonathan’s Hope, Jonathan’s Promise deals with aging and the ultimate consequences of wedding vows. Are we entitled to a second shot at happiness? When is ‘for worse’ too much to handle?
In this trilogy:
Jonathan’s Hope (Book 1)
Jonathan’s Promise (Book 2)
Jonathan’s Legacy (Book 3)
“Jon?”
“Yes, Hon, what is it?”
“I’m tired.”
“I know. Just rest. You need your strength for tomorrow.”
“I’m not sure I want to…”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m just not sure it’s worth it, Jon…” Dan started to cough. Jonathan rose from his chair at his husband’s bedside to offer him some water, gently lifting and holding Dan’s head while he took down the cool, soothing liquid.
When the coughing eased, Dan patted Jonathan’s hand. He waited until Jonathan was seated before he spoke further. “Thanks. I’m old, hon. And I’m tired. I’ve lived a long and rich life, and you know what the doctor said. There’s only a very small chance the surgery will help. The tumor’s already metastasized, and even with chemo I’ll die sooner rather than later. Maybe it’s better to just get it over with.”
Jonathan began to cry, tumbling forward in his despair. His head came to a rest on his husband’s chest. They’d been a couple for so many years―six decades. How would he go on without Dan’s strength? How could he survive without the man who’d saved his life?
“Hon, don’t worry about me. I need you now, probably more than ever. I need to know you’ll stay strong for the kids. They need you.”
Dan’s words began to slur and his eyes closed. Even talking took so much effort. When he was sure Dan was asleep, Jonathan left their bedroom and went downstairs, out to the back patio, where he left the crisp, fresh fall air to dry the tears on his face. He was tired, too. Dan’s cancer had come back. They’d thought he’d beaten it, but the last screening showed the dark shadows in his bones and his lungs. After three years of clear results, it had come completely out of the blue, and the doctor said that it had also spread to other areas of the body.
That was just a few days ago, and Dan had accepted the news with equanimity. He had made peace with himself and the world around him when the cancer had first been diagnosed in his prostate. Back then, there was still a sparkle in Dan’s eyes, a determination to fight this, a will to survive. But at ninety years of age, Dan was tired, and Jonathan knew―or rather he felt―that his husband was done. And he understood, but that did not diminish the pain, the despair. Yes, he’d be strong for the kids, the grandkids, but who’d look after him? Who’d make sure he survived?
First of all, thank you for hosting the book tour for Jonathan’s Promise today, and thanks for the opportunity to guest blog. I really appreciate it.
I remember writing Jonathan’s Hope. I never, not once, mentioned where the story took place, and most people who tried to place it, placed it in New York. They were wrong. For the sequel, I felt I could no longer do that, I had to take our characters places, I wanted to let them travel, and you can’t go places if you don’t leave a place. So we learn that the “city” is Chicago, that Jonathan was born and raised in the Windy City.
I wonder if I knew when I first wrote Jonathan’s Hope? I don’t think so. But it makes sense, and maybe visiting Chicago in late 2014, a year and a half after having written the original novel, helped me place it there. It might as well have been Cincinnati, or Cleveland. But no, it had to be Chicago and it makes total sense.
In the story, Jonathan picks up traveling, and one of the first trips he makes is to learn more about Dan’s past. I still remember my husband, who back then always was the first to read my stories, asking me about Dan and why I never mentioned his family. Turns out there were good reasons. As I write very subconsciously, I often don’t really know where my stories come from, why I look at a specific topic. My characters don’t always tell me, but in the sequel, they answer some of the questions I was asked in the past two years. Dan, from Maine. Who knew?
But we also travel the world, to places I know, and to some places I want to visit. I love to travel, and I guess it’s a trait Jonathan inherited from me. So get ready to travel places: from Chicago to the Caribbean, Colombia, the Panama Canal, New Mexico, Hawaii and finally to one of my dream destinations: Bora Bora. I haven’t been there, but after writing about it, I want to go there more than ever before!
WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER ON YOUTUBE!!
I’m an author. I write books. I write about things that are important to me: family, parenting, children, our environment, our world. Contemporary, fresh fiction with happy endings. It’s what I like to read myself. I write because I don’t have a choice. There are so many stories in my head, constantly forming, constantly trying to get out. Feel free to have a look on the other pages to learn more, listen to me narrate from those stories, and – if you like what you see or hear – follow the links to buy the books. I’d greatly appreciate that, as this is how I try to make my living.
I’m an author. But I’m also a forty something male who clings to the illusion of still being twenty-seven, despite my body’s daily reminders to the contrary. I’m married to the most amazing man, and together we have a beautiful son, Sascha. I consider myself a citizen of the world, having lived on two continents and traveled extensively through another three. I have friends all over the world. When I’m not writing, I like to do public speaking or training (where I have my professional background) to actually earn some real bill-paying money. Not sure this author thing is ever going to get me there…
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Winner’s Prize: $50 Amazon GC
Runner Up Prize: 5 e-copies of Jonathan’s Promise (Book 2) / Jonathan’s Hope (Book 1) –- Winner’s Choice
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I absolutely loved the excerpt even though it had me in tears. I am looking forward to reading it soon. Thank you so much for such a wonderful series.