Waiting for a Miracle

          Benjamin Cohen, widowed father of six-year-old Jessie, is doing his best to hold it together through order and routine. The last thing he needs is his matchmaker mother to set him up with her next door neighbor, no matter how attractive she is.
          Rachel Schaecter's dream of becoming a foster mother is right within her grasp, until her meddlesome neighbor tries to set her up with her handsome son. What's worse? He's the father of her favorite kindergarten student! She can't afford to let anything come between her and her dream, no matter how gorgeous he may be.
          Can these two determined people trust in the miracle of Hanukkah to let love and light into their lives?


Wild Women Authors is pleased to welcome back Jennifer Wilck as she celebrates the release of Waiting for A Miracle, a sweet contemporary romance published by the Wild Rose Press. Jennifer;s brought Rachel Schaecter, a knidergarten teacher with a heart of gold along for the fun.
Where are you from, Rachel? I live in New York City
Tell us a bit about Waiting for a Miracle. It tells the story of how I met and fell in love with Benjamin Cohen, the father of my favorite kindergarten student, and the son of my neighbor.
What did you think the first time you saw Benjamin: That he was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen. 
Works for us. And your second thought? It was parent/teacher conferences, and since he’s a dad of my student, he’s off limits.
Did you feel it was love at first sight? I couldn’t let myself consider that possibility, originally. Because, again, he’s my student’s father. And when I first met him, I was dating someone else.
What do you like most about him? He’s kind and loyal and smart. He’s supportive of me and my dream, which is to be a foster parent, and he’s sincere. He doesn’t play games.
How would you describe Ben? Physically? Tall, dark hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and, um, very nicely built. He’s thoughtful and careful, a little too organized, an amazing father. He’s a little shy when it comes to dating, but he was married for several years and dating is new to him. I kind of like that about him.
How would he describe you? Oy. I hate questions like these. He likes my hair. It’s red—it always drove me crazy as a kid, but I like it now. I adore his daughter, and he knows it, so I hope he’d say I’m a good teacher. He also knows I’m crazy about chocolate—he bought me chocolate donuts during Hanukkah when he was trying to let me know he liked me. Isn’t that sweet?
What made you choose teaching for a career? I love kids. I’ve always wanted a bunch of my own, but I can’t have them naturally, and my ex-boyfriend didn’t want them. So for a while, being a kindergarten teacher helped me satisfy my love for children. I love teaching them and seeing the look on their faces when they “get” something. And I love how honest and forthright they are.
What is your biggest fear? You mean other than rats (they’re gross)? That somehow dating Benjamin is going to mess up my chances of fostering a child. But he swears he’ll do everything he can to help me, so I’m a little less afraid now. I still hate rats, though.
How do you relax? I live in New York City so I play tourist and go to museums on my downtime.
Who is your favorite fictional character? Mary Poppins. She’s great with kids, and always happy.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received? Trust myself and work for what I want.
Thank you for spending time with us, Rachel. We'd like to chat with Jennifer.
What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Jane Eyre started my love of romance and dark heroes. Lynn Kurland is one of my favorite authors—she writes amazing time travel romances filled with emotion. I loved musicals as a kid, so The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins were big favorites of mine growing up.
What event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? I’m Jewish and I like to write about Jewish characters in every-day life, not necessarily during a holiday. However, I was given an opportunity to write a Hanukkah novella and I took it. Because it takes place in New York City, I could show how Hanukkah fits in with other holidays—the variety of decorations you see during the holidays, how other traditions occur at the same time, etc. So it was nice to be able to show how Hanukkah takes place simultaneously with other religious holidays.
Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? The Wild Rose Press is fantastic. They are so communicative with their authors and really strive to make the publishing process a collaborative effort. I knew several authors already with them who recommended them to me, and then convinced me to submit to my manuscript to them. I’m very glad I did. They also worked really hard with this novella to get it ready for this holiday season, despite how late in the year I submitted to them.
What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? Oh my gosh, too many to mention.
Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? I’m writing and editing several manuscripts, and will be contributing to a multi-author series with my book coming out in the fall of 2020.

Jennifer brought an excerpt from Waiting for a Miracle:

          Six-year-old bodies were good at many things— bouncing, hugging, and racing. Rachel was thankful they were also good at hiding her surprise. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine her favorite student, and her student’s father, would be at her neighbor’s house the same night she was invited to celebrate Hanukkah.

          She met the hard gaze of Jessie’s father across the room. Eyes narrowed as if he suspected her reasons for being here. His broad shoulders were stiff. His jean-clad muscular legs were spread apart in a solid stance. Square hands fisted at his sides, and one of them held a menorah. Did he plan to throw it or club someone with it?

          Giving Jessie a last pat, she rose. With an arm around Jessie, she extended her other hand to her father. “Happy Hanukkah.”

         “Ms. Schaecter.”


         “Mr. Cohen.”


         “Oh, please,” Harriet said, “Such formality between you two. Rachel, this is my son Benny. I mean Benjamin.”

          Benny. Rachel filed the information away for later, along with his flushed skin at the nickname. Interesting.

          “And Benjamin, this is my neighbor, Rachel. We’re not at a school event. You can call each other by your first names.” Harriet pointed at Jessie, who gripped Rachel’s hand so hard, Rachel’s fingers lost their circulation. “Except for you,” Harriet added. “You have to call her Ms. Schaecter.”

          Jessie giggled. “Yes, Grandma.”

To purchase Waiting for a Miracle, go to:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZMQ2BWZ

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/waiting-for-a-miracle-jennifer-wilck/1134117349?ean=2940161018385

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/waiting-for-a-miracle/id1484912207

To learn more about Jennifer Wilck and the stories she creates, go to:

Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Wilck-201342863240160/

Newsletter: https://www.jenniferwilck.com/contact.html#newsletter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWilck

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjenniferwilck/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jennifer-wilck