Happy book birthday to Danyelle Ferguson and her new release, Once Upon a Wish. This book birthday is extra special, as it marks her 10th published book! #HappyDance And let me say that you are going to adore this story! Danyelle is a RONE Award-winning author, and this book feels like another contender!
A few years ago (Danyelle isn't divulging the exact number), she spent her senior year of high school as an exchange student in France. She lived on the coast, near the port of La Rochelle. The towers at the port marked her very favorite spot. She loved the cobblestone streets, the gorgeous architecture, and most of all, to look across the ocean, knowing that her family in Pennsylvania was just on the other side.
As a writer, one of her goals has been to write a book set in La Rochelle, France - and Once Upon a Wish made that dream come true. It's true that "Every dream fulfilled begins with a wish."
Be careful what you wish for . . .
Delphine Baudry wished to be a best-selling author, but now instead of celebrating and jumping into her next novel, she's frozen with fear. What if she turns out to be a one-hit-wonder? What if all her new fans hate the next book? To top it all off, she can't even discuss the situation with her favorite brainstorming partner, her mother, who is losing her memory to Alzheimer's. Taking a cue from some teens tossing Euros into a fountain, Delphine gives into some whimsy and wishes for her next book plot.
Jean-Paul Chassériau wished to start an online marketing company in La Rochelle. Now the real work begins. Feeling pressure to live up to his father's name in traditional marketing, Jean-Paul has a million ideas but no clients. When he finds a funky old Franc lodged between cobblestones near a fountain, there was only one thing to do. Make a wish.
When their coins collide, Delphine and Jean-Paul's wishes become intertwined, changing the course of their futures, and teaching them that wishes are sometimes fulfilled in unexpected ways.
Here's a teaser from the book:
Jean-Paul's fingers enveloped her tiny hand, but she returned the handshake with a firm grip. Small but confident. He liked that.
“My name is Delphine,” the woman from the fountain said. Her dog yipped from under the table, and she patted her knees. A scruffy ball of fur leapt up, then sat on her lap. Her dog was more black than the typical brown and white the Yorkie breed was known for, giving him a tough scrapper look despite his small size. “And this is Hugo, my ferocious guard dog. Say hello, Hugo.” The Yorkie tilted his head as if considering Jean-Paul, then lifted his paw to obey.
Jean-Paul took the tiny paw in his hand and shook it. “Very nice to meet you,” he said in a deep, serious voice. When he released Hugo’s paw, the dog’s tongue darted out and licked the side of Jean-Paul’s thumb.
“He likes you,” Delphine said, petting her dog.
He took her comment as a good thing and sat down in his chair.
“So, did I ruin your wish?” she asked.
Jean-Paul smiled. She liked to jump right to the point, no tiptoeing around. “No, not at all. I’ve never seen two coins collide like that.”
“Ah, but just because you haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. Statistically, anyway,” Delphine said, picking up the cup and saucer, then sipping some chocolat chaud.
“I’m willing to admit the probability is non-zero, but I can’t imagine it would be very high,” Jean-Paul shot back, interested to see her response to his geeky comment.
“Tell me,” Delphine said, leaning forward, intrigue glinting in her eyes. “How many coins have you seen thrown into that fountain?”
He folded his arms and brought up one finger to tap his chin, going for a deep-in-thought pose. “You’re right. Maybe we should perform an experiment. How about we meet here again on Thursday?” |
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Ready to jump into Once Upon a Wish?
Buy it on Kindle for only $2.99.
About the Author
Danyelle Ferguson discovered her love for the written word in elementary school. Her first article was published when she was in 6th grade. Since then, she’s won several awards and has been published world-wide in newspapers, magazines and books. She’s grateful every day to work in her dream jobs – author, editor, and nurturing her readaholic tendencies.
She grew up surrounded by Pennsylvania’s beautiful Allegheny Mountains. Then lived for ten years among the majestic Wasatch Mountains. She is currently experiencing mountain-withdrawal while living in Kansas with her husband and four angels-in-training. She enjoys reading, writing, dancing and singing in the kitchen, and the occasional long bubble bath to relax from the everyday stress of being “Mommy.”
As many of you know, my family, like many of yours, was rocked when our mother received the diagnosis of dementia. I found support and understanding from a group of authors who were likewise affected by this disease. In some cases, it struck the authors' loved ones. In other cases, the author themselves were impacted.
My award-winning novel, "The Dragons of Alsace Farm," illustrates the impact dementia has on a 82-Y-O French WWII survivor named Agnes, and the people who love her. My mother inspired me to make Agnes a dementia sufferer so I could begin a dialogue about this disease. "Dragons" led me to find an extraordinary group of authors-- Alzauthors.
