August 13, 2019

Nia Michaels is an author who’s currently experiencing writer’s block. Determined to send her next novel by the deadline, she struggles for inspiration. Her own love life certainly doesn’t reflect the sweet Romance stories she’s grown accustomed to reading and writing. When a man walks inside Southern Delights Cafe, catching Nia’s eye, she’s delighted to find the perfect male character for her novel. She sure wouldn’t mind getting to know him for herself too.

Victory Gospel Shorts are sweet Christian romance short stories from 8,000 to 10,000 words, or 32-40 book pages. Meet a different member from the Victory Gospel Church family. Don’t be surprised if you see a character from the Victory Gospel Series or the Reed Family Series in a story.

NOTE: This story is a part of the Love Walked In anthology.

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Read an Excerpt …

I’d taken a few days off from the day job where I worked as a public relations manager. Loved the job, but I longed for the day when I could write full-time. Not that I didn’t do a lot of writing for my day job, which required me to constantly write press releases, and copy for my company’s social media platforms and blog. So while I was not a believer in writer’s block, I couldn’t find time to write my next book no matter how hard I tried. 

This week I was determined to nail down a few chapters. My editor had been harassing me the past month and had already extended the deadline for another six months. With two books under my belt, I was still tickled to see my name, Nia Michaels, on a book cover. Crazy thing was I wrote sweet romance novels that weren’t anything like my life.

Maybe that was my problem. I need romance in my own life. Sigh!

Lately, I’d been in a funk. It’s been three years since I’ve been in a serious relationship. Let’s just say the last one turned me off to the whole dating, boyfriend process. That’s what it was to me, a process to see if I was a good match for someone else. I wasn’t having much success. My constant prayer was to be ready for when Mr. Right would find me. 

Lord, I’m wondering if I’m even showing up on the GPS. 

Anyhow, when I broke up with my last boyfriend, I received the inspiration to write a novel. I’d always wanted to write a book, but this time, whether it was due to me not wanting to be depressed or it was just the right time, I wrote a whole book. The male character from Sugar & Spice was indeed the man of my dreams. Sebastian Windsor. I wanted to marry Sebastian myself by the time I typed the end. Then, I proceeded to write another book, Sweet on You, with yet another male character that I wished was real. Avery Vance was his name. What can tell you, I’m good at writing the perfect man. My readers agree with me because both books have had relatively good success. I enjoy visiting with book clubs to talk about my stories.  For the past year, those same readers have been hounding me on social media wanting to know when to expect my next book.

I sighed for like the fifth time since I entered Southern Delights Cafe, a coffee shop owned by my Aunt Linda. I wasn’t sure what was going on with book number three, but I was anxious for something to spark my imagination. When I arrived, my aunt took one look at me and fixed my favorite, a caramel mocha latte on the house. I guess she could tell from my face, it was one of those kind of days. 

I’d been sitting in a back booth for close to forty minutes, positioned where I could see the lunch crowd walk through the door. By now, a whole lot of customers had ventured inside to grab a cup of their favorite coffee beverage, usually with one of Aunt Linda’s sweet treats. I finished nibbling on a mini pecan-pie only to find a blank page still staring back at me. I drained my cup and thought about trying another sugary delight. What I needed was for my brain cells to focus on my laptop instead of obsessing over the dessert counter. My bottom sure didn’t need the extra calories. My jeans were fitting way too snug and I was basically wasting away my gym membership.

While I struggled with temptation, a figure caught my eye outside the cafe. I’m not sure why, but I found my eyes roving from the dessert counter to outside the window. Maybe it was 

the beautiful chocolate skin or the strong jawline, visible from the side that captured my attention. When the man reached for the door, I sat still, almost not breathing and watched as the most gorgeous man I’ve seen in a long, long time walked through the doors. He had a bit of swagger to his walk as he glided towards the order counter. 

For a brief moment, he turned and caught my eye.

I smiled.

He smiled back.