Tag: fiction

Caroline’s Purpose-Run

“Connor reached for his auxiliary cord and dug his phone out of his pocket to plug it in. He called up his driving playlist as he prepared for the hour or so drive home. He tapped the shuffle button, and “Run” by Urban Rescue sprang to life in the speakers.

Letting the lyrics fall over him, he put his truck in reverse and left the parking lot. He whispered along as the first verse continued. “Please don’t leave me where I am. Take me back where love began. Though my eyes can’t see the end, I believe You have a plan.”

Connor turned onto the road and headed for the interstate. He let the song work its way into his heart as he drove and pictured Caroline. There was a plan; he just had to wait it out and keep praying for her every step of the way.”

Run is one of my favorite Urban Rescue songs, and I thought it fit well into this part of my book. If you want to know what led up to this moment, Caroline’s Purpose is available now! If you’ve read it, and enjoyed it, I would love for you to leave a review on Amazon!

https://youtu.be/Dzym5wa0Pqc

Hope: Caroline’s Purpose

“And he couldn’t help but let that wonder turn into a sense of hope.”

This is one of my favorite quotes from Caroline’s Purpose. If you want to know who ‘he’ is and what he’s hopeful about, Caroline’s Purpose is available now!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Carolines-Purpose-Erica-Zaborac/dp/1611533929/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=carolines+purpose&qid=1610989692&sprefix=caroline’s+purpo&sr=8-3

Barnes and Noble: https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/carolines-purpose-erica-zaborac/1138372131?ean=9781611533927

Caroline’s Purpose: Softball Excerpt

“Caroline could feel the crowd’s anticipation. She could sense the energy pulsing through her team. Everyone knew this was it, the last batter she would have to face if she could get the out. The championship would be theirs.

The no-hitter would be hers.

She forced another deep breath as she stepped to the rubber to get her sign. Another drop ball. She repeated the motion and spin she had just thrown for a called strike one. She got the ball back, replanted her feet on the rubber, and waited for the next call.

Caroline nodded her head, agreeing to the changeup. Keep your arm speed up, she reminded herself as she worked the ball in her glove to get the grip she wanted. She flipped her wrist as she released, slowing down the pitch for a called strike two.

The fans for their team stood up in the stands, recognizing they needed just one more strike to win. Caroline took the ball to the edge of the pitching circle, looking out at the center field fence, then up to the lights shining down on the field. The last beams of light from the sunset glowed over the top of the mountains. The May breeze ruffled the end of her ponytail. She closed her eyes. You can do this. Throw a strike. It’s that easy.

Turning back, determination echoing in each step, she took to the rubber. The catcher relayed the sign to her. Screw ball, up and in.

With two strikes on the hitter, Caroline knew she needed to make this a chase pitch, something out of the strike zone that would trick the batter into swinging and missing. She pictured where she wanted it to go, and off she went.

She gave the pitch a little extra oomph, grunting as she snapped the ball. It ran in and up, going right where she wanted it. The batter swung through it, missing by several inches. Strike three. Three outs. Ballgame.

State championship.

No-hitter…”

Caroline’s Purpose is available for pre-order now!

Bookshop

Apple Books

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Amazon

Overdrive

The Beginning of Caroline’s Purpose

I thought I would share the beginning of the writing process for Caroline’s Purpose. This picture was taken three years ago today. It was an assignment for a class in my master’s degree program, and I was dealing with some serious writer’s block until I went outside and wrote in the barn with my horses. This was the first scene I wrote for the book, but it is actually in what is now Chapter 18. I very rarely write stories in order. I always start with the scenes or images or conversations that are the most vivid. The order comes together later.

Remember you can pre-order Caroline’s Purpose! Release date is January 5th, which is only three weeks away!

Bookshop

Apple Books

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Amazon

Overdrive

Excerpt from Caroline’s Purpose

Today, I’m excited to share an excerpt from Caroline’s Purpose:

“With small steps, Caroline tiptoed away from Jasper’s stall, hoping for just a peek of Edison. He cowered in the back corner of his stall, pawing at the floor, his skin stretched taut over every rigid muscle in his body.

Caroline stopped three feet from the door. She peered over it on her tiptoes, seeing his grain bucket smashed against the wall, bent almost in half from the dent in the middle of it.

“Well, that wasn’t very smart, bud. What are you going to eat out of, now that you kicked your bucket?” Caroline muttered. Edison continued to paw.

Even under the patches of dirt and loose, dull hair, and the knots in his mane and tail, it was easy to see how beautiful he was. The copper red of his coat was highlighted by the blond of his mane. The angles of his haunches and shoulders were perfect, and his muscles showed off his athletic structure.

“No one here is going to hurt you. You have to know that by now.” Caroline took two steps closer to the stall. At the sound of her voice, Edison’s head snapped up and he froze, his eyes looking straight into hers.

Caroline’s breath caught in her throat. The connection she felt with him was so familiar. The pain and fear in his eyes reflected what she often felt herself. Without thinking, she closed the space between her and the door, reaching out and touching the top of it with her fingers…”

Caroline’s Purpose is available for pre-order now on the following sites! The release date is January 5th, 2021!

Bookshop

Apple Books

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Amazon

Overdrive

About Caroline’s Purpose

The question I get asked the most is probably, “What is your book about?” I’ve always struggled to answer, but now, I can just share what’s written on the back cover:

“Caroline Davis, a sophomore in college, finds herself at a crossroads, suffocated by fear and anxiety. Everything she claimed to be or dreamed of becoming has been lost to her, including her faith in God.

When she meets Connor Taylor, Caroline finds that he is able to relate to her pain more than she would have thought possible.

With the help of Edison, an abused horse, Connor seeks to help Caroline learn to use her past as a stepping stone towards the future.

As her relationship with Connor grows, Caroline must make a choice to conquer her fear or to stay where she feels safe. Their relationship and her future hang in the balance.”

Remember it’s now available for preorder on Amazon and Barnes and Noble! The Kindle and Nook editions are available too.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Carolines-Purpose-Erica-Zaborac/dp/1611533929

Barnes and Noble: https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/carolines-purpose-erica-zaborac/1138372131?ean=9781611533927

Relief

She collected her bag and water bottle from the bench and climbed up the steps onto the field. She paused, taking everything in one last time. The way the grass was the perfect shade of green. The snow-white chalk that drew the batters’ boxes and the pitching circle. The red clay dirt that had stained hundreds of pairs of her socks throughout the years. The bullpen.
Her eyes settled on the crates of balls, and she remembered the weight of the ball in her hand. The burn of the seam over her fingers as she spun each pitch with precision. The slide of her back foot as she dragged it behind her. The snap of the ball in the catcher’s mitt as the batter swung and missed.
She tore herself away and walked down the narrow one-way street that took her to the mall. Ducking her head, one tear slid down her cheek as she jogged towards the setting sun, working to avoid eye contact with anyone she met. The purple and navy shades of dusk settled in around her as she found her car. Her keys slipped through her fingers and clattered to the concrete. Bending over, she collected her keys, and herself, before opening her door and sitting down. She made eye contact with herself in the review mirror. Her blue eyes were clouded with unshed tears and sadness, and a small ache had settled in around her heart. The pain didn’t surprise her as she thought about the decision she had just made, everything she had just walked away from, or the life she had just left behind.
What shocked her, was the small sense of relief.

One tear slid down her cheek as she walked towards the setting sun, the purple and navy shades of dusk settling in around her. What shocked her was not the small ache that settled in around her heart as she thought about the decision she had just made, everything that she had just walked away from, or the life she had just left behind.

What shocked her, was the sense of relief.