A Series of Almosts

Picture Perfect

If you’ve ever felt like you “good but not quite good enough” you will certainly be able to relate to Hannah in Picture Perfect. Here’s the opening of the book, which shares her “almost, but not quite” issues with the reader:

My life has been a series of almosts.

Take, for instance, the time I almost made the cheerleading squad in junior high but lost out to my arch-nemesis, Jacquie Practically-Perfect-in-Every-Way Goldfarb. Then there was the time Matt Hudson, the hunkiest football player at my high school, almost asked me to the prom but ended up going with Jacquie, instead. Oh, and we can’t forget the time I almost got the photographer’s dream job, shooting superstar Brock Benson’s wedding. Yep. Another almost. That time, the opportunity of a lifetime slipped through my fingers and into the open palms of my chief competitor, Drew Kincaid of Kincaid Photography.

Some people are haunted by memories of things they’ve done. Me? I’m haunted by all of the things I nearly accomplished but missed by a quarter of an inch. That’s why, when faced with yet another unbelievable opportunity—a profile piece in Texas Bride magazine to promote my new Galveston-based photography business—I couldn’t blow it. No more almosts for me. This time I would hit the finish line a winner. My meeting with the Texas Bride reporter would transform my career and propel me into the limelight, winning me the favor of the island’s top wedding planner, Bella Neeley. If I could just keep from messing it up.

Oh, but this time I wouldn’t! In fact, I could almost hear my Grandpa Aengus cheering me on from the Great Beyond: Hannah Grace, if you’re lucky enough to be Irish, then you’re lucky enough.

I didn’t happen to believe in luck, but if being Irish meant I stood a better chance at succeeding in business, I would embrace my heritage as never before. I would bathe with Irish Spring soap, dress in the vibrant colors of the family crest, skip through fields of shamrocks and listen to my father’s nightly tales of the Clan McDermott’s glory days. And I would do it all with a smile on my face and confidence in my stride.

***

You can see from this opening that Hannah has an “almost” problem. She always feels like she comes in second place. I know what that feels like, having spent several years in the theater scene. It seemed like I always got the secondary lead, not the main lead. (In retrospect, I feel like a brat for even thinking like that! What a blessing, to get any speaking part at all…right?!) In my writing life, I’ve often published books that “almost” took off…but not quite.

Well, no more “almosts” for me! The Bella books have propelled me forward and given my characters (and my writing) a breath of fresh air. I’ve received a great opportunity to connect with people and to share in my journey…all through these books!

If you haven’t read all of the Bella books, you might as well start with Fools Rush In. It’s currently free on kindle. From there, please read the rest of the Weddings by Bella series and then the Backstage Pass (Hollywood) series, too. Why? To prepare you for Picture Perfect, of course! ALL of the books have some common themes and characters. I promise, you won’t “almost” fall for Bella and the gang. You’ll tumble head-over-heels! (Or my name isn’t Jacquie Goldfarb!!!)

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