Blitz – Shoes On The Stairs by Jan Steele

On July 31, 2019 by Jaye

Inspired by the many frustrations of parenthood and the ever-present fear of failure, SHOES ON THE STAIRS centers around a mother’s struggle to accept what she has left behind after her death. She takes the reader on a journey of both laughter and tears while learning even the smallest of gestures can make a significant and lasting impact.

Claire Blackwell can’t find that damn white light. Thanks to a mishap at an intersection, she’s dead and stuck somewhere between Heaven and what seems like Hell as she is forced to watch her husband and children unravel without her. While she struggles to find answers for her limbo state, her family begins to see her, offering what she believes, is a gift of second chances.

As she navigates through this new, untouchable world and the challenges it creates, she is forced to face some sad and potentially dangerous truths. Determined, she works to mend her relationship with her family, but her stubborn teenage son refuses to acknowledge her, and when tensions escalate with his long-time bully, her inability to control the physical world around her leaves her fearing for her family’s safety. With her time running out, she must find a way to save them before the progress she has made is lost and she fades from this world forever.

Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44796093-shoes-on-the-stairs?ac=1&from_search=true
Purchase:

Amazon: https://books2read.com/u/mgGKOK?store=amazon

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shoes-on-the-stairs-jan-steele/1132173810
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/shoes-on-the-stairs

Excerpt

I need to test my presence, see what I can and can’t do. Last time I checked I couldn’t persuade anything in the physical world. But my increased ability to differentiate between Brad’s and the kids’ unique heartbeats could mean I’m connecting with them on a deeper level that will eventually lead to a physical reunion. I run my hands through the thin, dated drapes in the living room, but they don’t move. Each time I try, my hands flow directly through the fabric, not even creating a slight shift or sway. Nothing I attempt to touch, no matter how hard I concentrate, is influenced by me.

When I test my mobile ability, it’s clear I don’t possess the lightning speed like those vampires in the movies. I can’t move any faster than when I was alive, and I can’t snap my fingers and be transported to where I want to go. Instead, I must travel the same as everyone else. When I sit, I don’t make an indentation on the cushion. It’s like I’m not really here. Where are my ghost, or whatever I am, perks? There should be at least some. Instead, I have no presence here. I can’t affect anything, so why would I possibly be here if I can’t control the physical world around me?

Author Bio

Jan Steele grew up in the burbs of Chicago and after thirty-two years of shoveling snow, moved to San Diego with her husband and children. She has taught everything from Kindergarten through high school but found her passion for writing years later while living as an expat in Asia for four years. She is a contributing author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Miracles and More (2018), an MFA student at UC Riverside, and shares a blog with her sister-in-law. In addition to writing, she loves to travel, volunteer, watch college basketball and sunsets.

Inspired by the many frustrations of parenthood and the ever-present fear of failure, SHOES ON THE STAIRS centers around a mother’s struggle to accept what she has left behind after her death. She takes the reader on a journey of both laughter and tears while learning even the smallest of gestures can make a significant and lasting impact.
Author links:

https://twitter.com/jbaby711

https://www.jansteeleauthor.com/

https://www.instagram.com/writeontheedge/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Author/Jan-Steele-Author-1106055386230633/