The Color of a Dream (24 page)

For a full hour, Ellen and I played in the
park with Audrey and her daughter. Then we said our good-byes and I
drove home to Waltham where Jesse was waiting for me with supper on
the table.

I told him about my afternoon with the wife
of my organ donor. When he asked if I told her who I was, I said
no. I chose to respect her privacy, and it was unlikely I would
ever see her again.

But oh, how lovely and kind she was. I
resolved to say a daily prayer for her future happiness. I hoped
and prayed that one day she would rediscover joy—as I had
discovered it upon the blessing of a second chance at life, thanks
to her husband.

I came a long way. I faced death and fought
my way back to a level of health where I will never cease to
appreciate the miracles of life and the goodness of humanity around
me.

What a gift we are given each day when we
rise. The world is beautiful, and isn’t it wonderful to think that
dreams can take us to the most incredible places?

Never stop believing that. Always look to
the future. And keep dreaming.

* * *

Available June 2014

The Color of a Memory

Audrey Fitzgerald’s Story

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for reading THE COLOR OF A
DREAM and I hope you are enjoying this series so far. If you
started with this book, you might want to go back to the beginning
where I tell the story of Sophie Duncan, the author who makes an
appearance in this novel when she speaks to Nadia about near-death
experiences and cellular memory. That book is called THE COLOR OF
HEAVEN, and it provided me with inspiration for further stories in
this series.

Read on for information about the other
books, and if you would like to be notified when a new title is
released, please sign up for my mailing list at my website:

http://www.juliannemaclean.com

There you will find information about all my
other books, a blog where I share latest news and personal photos,
a monthly autographed book giveaway, and “Behind the Book” tidbits
about my novels.

And please keep an eye out for the next book
in this series—THE COLOR OF A MEMORY—where Nadia will continue to
wonder about her donor and Audrey will be forced to deal with
information about her late husband. What she learns would seem
unthinkable to her at the end of this story when she first meets
Nadia in the playground.

Thanks for reading and have a great
year!

Julianne

P.S. In case you’re wondering what happened
to Bentley, Jesse’s dog, I didn’t forget about him, but I couldn’t
seem to find the right spot in the book to mention him again as the
story was moving fairly quickly. Even during the revision stage, I
didn’t know where to insert an update. Just so you know, in my
mind, Bentley lived a long and happy life with Jesse and passed
away at the age of 15. I also expect Nadia and Jesse will get a dog
of their own eventually. Maybe in the next book!

1.
How do the
actions of Jesse and Rick reveal their true characters in the first
twenty-one chapters of the novel?

2.
Though Rick
is a villain in Jesse’s eyes, is there any sign of goodness in
Rick? If so, where? Do you believe he is portrayed fairly in this
novel? If you read the previous book,
The Color of Hope
, what are your thoughts about Rick? Is he
really as bad as some of these characters make him out to
be?

3.
Nadia’s
section begins with a reference to her recurring dream of flying.
Have you ever dreamed you were flying? Do you believe in astral
projection?

4.
Is there
another recurring dream you have that has some meaning in your
life? If so, what is it?

5.
Why do you
think Jesse was attracted to Nadia at first sight, and not Diana,
given they are identical twins?

6.
Jesse
couldn’t help Angela and that part of his past haunts him. How do
you feel this plays into his actions and decisions throughout the
rest of the novel? Do you believe he lets go of this guilt in the
end?

7.
Nadia falls
for Jesse quickly. Do you feel she was desperate to have a loving
partner and father for her child? Or was she truly meant to be with
Jesse?

8.
Toward the
end of the novel, Nadia is still asking questions about the meaning
of her dreams. She remains skeptical. Do you believe there is an
answer to her experience? If so, what do you believe it
is?

9.
When Nadia
meets Audrey in the playground, should she have told her who she
was? How do you think Audrey would have reacted?

10.
The word
“dream” has many meanings. What connotations are present in this
novel?

THE COLOR OF
HEAVEN

A deeply
emotional tale about Sophie Duncan, a successful columnist whose
world falls apart after her daughter
’s unexpected illness and her husband’s shocking
affair. When it seems nothing else could possibly go wrong, her car
skids off an icy road and plunges into a frozen lake. There, in the
cold dark depths of the water, a profound and extraordinary
experience unlocks the surprising secrets from Sophie’s past, and
teaches her what it means to truly live…and love.

Full of
surprising twists and turns and a near-death experience that will
leave you breathless, this story is not to be missed.

“
A
gripping, emotional tale you’ll want to read in one
sitting.”

—
New
York Times bestselling author, Julia London

“
Brilliantly poignant mainstream tale.”

—
4 ½
starred review,
Romantic Times

Includes Bonus
Content: A Bookclub Discussion Guide

Purchase
THE COLOR OF HEAVEN
at
your favourite retailer.

THE COLOR OF
DESTINY

Eighteen
years ago a teenage pregnancy changed Kate
Worthington
’s life
forever. Faced with many difficult decisions, she chose to follow
her heart and embrace an uncertain future with the father of her
baby—her devoted first love.

At the
same time, in another part of the world, sixteen-year-old Ryan
Hamilton makes his own share of mistakes, but learns important
lessons along the way. Twenty years later, Kate
’s and Ryan’s paths cross in a way they
could never expect, which makes them question the possibility of
destiny. Even when all seems hopeless, could it be that everything
happens for a reason, and we end up exactly where we are meant to
be?

Includes Bonus
Content: A Bookclub Discussion Guide

Purchase
THE COLOR OF DESTINY
at
your favourite retailer.

THE COLOR OF
HOPE

Diana
Moore has led a charmed life. She
is the daughter of a wealthy senator and lives a
glamorous city life, confident that her handsome live-in boyfriend
Rick is about to propose. But everything is turned upside down when
she learns of a mysterious woman who works nearby—a woman who is
her identical mirror image.

Diana is
compelled to discover the truth about this woman’s identity, but
the truth leads her down a path of secrets, betrayals, and shocking
discoveries about her past. These discoveries follow her like a
shadow.

Then she
meets Dr. Jacob Peterson—a brilliant cardiac surgeon with an
uncanny ability to heal those who are broken. With his help, Diana
embarks upon a journey to restore her belief in the human spirit,
and recover a sense of hope—that happiness, and love, may still be
within reach for those willing to believe in second
chances.

Includes Bonus
Content: A Bookclub Discussion Guide

Purchase
THE COLOR OF HOPE
at
your favourite retailer.

Available
June
2014

THE COLOR OF A
MEMORY

Audrey Fitzgerald believed she was married to
the perfect man—a heroic firefighter who saved lives, even beyond
his own death. But a year later she meets a mysterious woman who
has some unexplained connection to her husband…

Soon Audrey discovers that her husband was
keeping secrets and she is compelled to dig into his past. Little
does she know…this journey of self-discovery will lead her down a
path to a new and different future—a future she never could have
imagined.

Praise
for

Julianne
MacLean’s

Historical
Romances

“
MacLean’s compelling writing turns this simple, classic
love story into a richly emotional romance, and by combining
engaging characters with a unique, vividly detailed setting, she
has created an exceptional tale for readers who hunger for
something a bit different in their historical romances.”