Shoes on the Stairs

by Jan Steele

Overview

Claire Blackwell can’t find that damn white light. Thanks to a mishap at an intersection, she’s dead and stuck somewhere between Heaven and what seems like Hell as she is forced to watch her husband and children unravel without her. While she struggles to find answers for her limbo state, her family begins to see her, offering what she believes, is a gift of second chances.

As she navigates through this new, untouchable world and the challenges it creates, she is forced to face some sad and potentially dangerous truths. Determined, she works to mend her relationship with her family, but her stubborn teenage son refuses to acknowledge her, and when tensions escalate with his long-time bully, her inability to control the physical world around her leaves her fearing for her family’s safety. With her time running out, she must find a way to save them before the progress she has made is lost and she fades from this world forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781947392564
Publisher:	Jan Steele
Publication date:	07/01/2019
Pages:	308
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.81(d)

Editorial Reviews

2020-04-01
A supernatural novel focuses on a mother’s care from beyond the grave.

Steele presents Claire Blackwell, a homemaker in San Diego, California. Claire’s daily frustrations include getting the kids to school on time and managing all of the little, often unnoticed things that keep a household running. This all changes one rainy day when Claire is killed in a car accident. The event is, however, not the end of Claire. She finds herself as a ghost of sorts, able to observe things on the earthly plane, though not able to interfere with them. She can ride in someone’s car and hear everything said, but she can’t transport herself to places instantly or touch anything. But in time, Claire learns she can communicate with her husband and children. And if they relied on Claire when she was alive, they need her more now that she’s dead. But even a ghost mother can only do so much. Then there is the question of Claire’s future: Will she ever move on from her newfound existence? Will she be able to save her family before she leaves? The book takes a unique twist on a life-after-death existence. But certain comical moments can be trite. For instance, Brad, Claire’s husband, attempts to cook a frozen turkey on Thanksgiving. Add in a surprise visit from relatives, and it seems as if following the death of his wife, Brad is destined to spend his own eternity as a bumbling father in a sitcom. Nevertheless, many moments are moving even with the fantastical premise. Claire’s abilities allow her to see the other sides of her children’s lives. She comes to understand them in a way that she never would have otherwise. Although she may not be able to magically return to life, she will make readers reconsider what it means to be among the living.

While some of the humor falls flat, this modern ghost story remains touching.

Kirkus Reviews

"Claire’s abilities allow her to see the other sides of her children’s lives. She comes to understand them in a way that she never would have otherwise..this modern ghost story remains touching."

—KIRKUS REVIEW

“A story about family, second-chances, and what it means to be a mother, SHOES ON THE STAIRS is both heart-breaking and funny. You will fall in love with Claire as she struggles to make right, in her death, everything that went wrong when she was still alive.”

—T. GREENWOOD

AUTHOR of Rust &Stardust, Where I Lost Her, and Two Rivers

“Shoes on the Stairs answers the question every mom has asked herself…Have I done enough…Would my family survive without me? An endearing, heartwarming story about the enduring love and bonds of family. This is a novel you don’t want to miss!”

—HOLLY KAMMIER

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR of Kingston Court

From the Publisher