In the Land of Second Chances

From Publishers Weekly
When a traveling salesman mysteriously appears in smalltown Ebb, Nebr., he quickly settles in at Wilma Porter's Come Again B&B and sets about solving all the problems plaguing Ebb's small social circle in this chatty, earnest novel. While no one fully believes that the impeccably dressed Vernon Moore has truly come to sell games of chance (there are no prospective buyers, for one thing), they are eager to keep him around for excitement and advice. Through a series of conversations over Wilma's down-home cooking, and at Calvin Millet's Department Store—a family establishment fast falling prey to bankruptcy and Wal-Mart takeover—Mr. Moore pitches philosophy and faith to Ebb's residents. During Mr. Moore's six-day stay, Millet develops plans to save his store and gains courage to discuss death with his terminally ill daughter; a rich investor chooses his community over himself; and a lonely divorcée finds romance. Busybody Wilma makes for a spunky narrator, but in this story of odds and uncertainty the stakes fall short. The conceit—hotshot stranger comes to town to talk sense to backward rural folk—is hoary and diminishes the otherwise colorful characters, especially when Mr. Moore's shaky logic and platitudinous pontificating go unchallenged. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The Come Again Bed and Breakfast, run by spunky narrator Wilma Porter, provides the setting for this unusual and affectionate first novel. Wilma describes the economically depressed town of Ebb, Nebraska, whose small-business owners depend on Calvin Millet's failing department store to protect them from hostile takeover by Wal-Mart and other monster franchises. Financial vultures circle as Calvin's emotional and monetary resources are tapped by the crises surrounding his daughter's life-threatening illness. Enter self-proclaimed traveling salesman Mr. Vernon Moore, who checks into the B&B and proceeds to charm people with his good looks, probing questions, and straightforward philosophy of "Reasoned Faith." As the townfolk observe Mr. Moore gently probing their pain and helping them sort through what he calls the "Paradox of the Benevolent God," everyone agrees that he must be selling more than he claims. This cross between Touched by an Angel and The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a self-help novel that inspires hope by depicting likable down-home folks who overcome adversity with faith. Jennifer Baker
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Philip Gulley, author of the Harmony series
"In this...touching tale, Shaffner does for writing what Louie Armstrong and "What a Wonderful World" did for music."

Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"A winsome fable. . . .Its quirky charm and feminist slant could make it a surprise bestseller."

Kirkus (starred review)
Its quirky charm and feminist slant could make it a surprise bestseller.

American Bookseller's Association (
Humor and charm abound. Readers of THE LIFE OF PI and PEACE LIKE A RIVER will appreciate this first novel.

Dan Hays, Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon, October 10, 2004
This is a pleasant, thoroughly amusing and heartfelt little book that will give you hope and maybe even joy.

Book Description
"My name is Wilma Porter. I own the Come Again Bed and Breakfast, which is the only B & B in Ebb, Nebraska. You may think that I'm exaggerating, but this town is perched on a sad edge of a slippery slope. I went to church and wished to God I could help in some way, but He sent us a salesman. That's right, a salesman. At least that's my theory. You be the judge."

So begins this big-hearted novel about the importance of hope.

The folks of Ebb have seen their fair share of hardship, but no one more so than Calvin Millet. His wife has left him and his terminally ill young daughter. His department store, the last in the area, is close to bankruptcy. His house has been destroyed by a tornado. Everyone, including the plucky Wilma Porter, watches Calvin's fortunes wane with great interest for in Ebb everyone's fate is connected to his.

When Vernon L. Moore, a nattily dressed stranger, comes to town with the intention of selling games of chance to Millet's Department Store, more than a few eyebrows are raised. For one thing, no one's seen a traveling salesman in over thirty years. For another, he has a unique way of seeing things and an uncanny knack for asking life-altering questions. Although Mr. Moore leaves without making a sale, he leaves behind a town where second chances are not only possible, they can--and do--happen.


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In this winsome fable, a mysterious stranger blows into town, bringing hope to the father of a dying girl. Ebb, Nebraska, is an unusual small town. Its vibrant downtown is anchored by one of the last family-owned department stores in the state (Wal-Mart is the bogeyman). Its townspeople are effortlessly nice. Many are businesswomen and divorcees, including narrator Wilma Porter, an ebullient grandmother and owner of a classy B&B. One fine day, an elegantly attired gent with prematurely white hair asks for a room. Vernon Moore claims to be a traveling salesman of games of chance, but nobody believes such an anachronism still exists. Vernon, however, exudes integrity and quickly gets a meeting with department store owner Calvin Millet. The unlucky Calvin's 11-year-old daughter, Lucy, has an incurable disease, and banker Clem Tucker ("a hard, tough man," says Wilma) is about to call in loans to the store, necessitating its sale. It's time for the charismatic Vernon to go to work. Besides straightening out Clem, he persuades Calvin-in conversations that make up the heart of the story-to replace fear with hope. Nothing can stop Lucy's death, but she can die with dignity (deciding herself when to stop her medication), and in hope, if she and Calvin both believe in an afterlife. Vernon's ingenious pitch for the likelihood of multiple lives might give even a robust skeptic pause, though the inevitable schmaltz-effect (there's more than an echo here of Capra's It's a Wonderful Life) of the struggle to get a distraught man to think positive is offset by a bracing commonsense and refusal to ignore ugly realities (death, divorce, and Wal-Mart). As for the mystery of Vernon's origins, newcomerShaffner wisely leaves that question unresolved. Vernon makes strong use of ghosts in his arguments; hey, he might even be one himself. Shaffner's first is far from flawless, but its quirky charm and feminist slant could make it a surprise bestseller.


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