We all die eventually.
But I shouldn't have. Not for at least 4 more years.
~.~
As a kid, protagonist Eleanor Keyes deals with a malign case of osteosarcoma and, when told she has less then a year to live, the ten year-old is presented with a deal. 10 more years to live, as long as she hands over her soul.
Things seem to be going fine, until Eleanor is shot in front of her best friend Charlie. She is then launched into a world of confusion, death, and a place called Purgatory.
With a new friend named Sam, who may not be who he says he is, Eleanor must travel through her past to find answers, encounter angels and the devil himself, and learn how the decision she made when she was 10 may put her in a place far beyond any Hell she had ever imagined.
A criminal mastermind makes a bold move against a wealthy client to put himself in a position to retire in comfort. He has no idea what he's up against when a young widow, desperate to make ends meet, sets her eyes on earning the bounty set on his head.
***
Newly widowed housewife Melody Scott needs to earn some major cash, fast. When her bright and busy children learn that a priceless ruby bracelet has been stolen and a six-figure reward is being offered, they convince her to try to do what the police, museum security, and the best private investigators have failed to do. Working against them is a notorious thief who has met people from around the world, but who has never once encountered a woman like Melody Scott. When the sweet innocence of the Scott family clashes against criminal forces more dangerous than they ever imagined, Melody is all too aware that a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do to protect her family.
The Widow, Melody Scott is a 2021 Watty Award Winner!
Content Warning: This story does contain depictions of stalking behavior.