EXTRACT: Olivia Rising

An extract from Olivia Rising, a powerful romance of resilience, courage, and the transformative power of love…

Chapter One

As the somber notes of the piano echo through the nave, Olivia Kane stands at the head of the church, hands gripping the podium for support. She has yet to come to terms with the new reality that is her life. It’s unfair… It’s cruel… It’s heartbreaking. She certainly feels heartbroken… and it’s a heartbreak she fears she’ll never recover from.

Eyes brimming with tears and hands shaking uncontrollably, she looks out over the large crowd that has gathered at the First Church of God in her hometown of Seward, Nebraska. They are all here for the same purpose, not even one reason is different. They have come to pay their respects to two amazing individuals who were taken far too soon on a rainy Friday evening in early August. A husband and a wife. A mother and a father. Two individuals who regularly gave to their tight-knit community—both with their time and financially. A college basketball coach and a high school principal. Her parents…

Beautiful colors from the stained-glass windows dance around the pews as the bright sun shines upon the house of God. It is the perfect representation of joy and faith. Although there is no joy on display between the four walls of this house of worship today, and Olivia has found herself questioning her faith since answering a knock that instantly upset her beautiful life.

As she stands at the podium, on the verge of breaking down, the only feelings she has are feelings of sadness, anger, and pain. Emotions not uncommon to the mourners who gather before her, only hers is deeper… much deeper.

People have come from all over town, cities over, and across multiple state lines… one from across the Atlantic, even—to pack the pews and pay their respects to Jordan and Leslie Kane—her parents. She isn’t surprised. They were good people… amazing people. They were well loved.

Dressed in black, their hushed whispers and stifled sobs form a melancholic symphony that has enveloped her. She can’t ignore the flickering candles on either side of the stage she currently stands on. They cast elongated shadows against the glistening walls, portraying a dark contrast against the holy images of the church. It somewhat represents how she feels now, too. She used to think that nothing could shake her faith in good over evil… in God Himself. Now, she’s not so sure. She knows her parents wouldn’t want it this way. Still, she cannot deny that her once bright and burning faith is being overshadowed by her anger… her sadness… her pain. Kind of like the way the shadows from the candles darken the holy images on the walls.

Clutching a crumpled piece of paper between the pew and her right hand, her mind overflows with a whirlwind of emotions. I can’t do this… she thinks to herself, quickly feeling far too anxious to speak. The memorial service for her parents drew a crowd that her suburban town, just thirty minutes from downtown Lincoln, had never seen before—at least not in the seven years that she’s lived here.