7. How has Lily and Trent’s relationship evolved since Bring on the Blessings? Will Lily’s organized and no-nonsense ways clash with Trent’s laid-back attitude once they are married?
8. Discuss the difference in Preston’s character from Bring on the Blessings to A Second Helping. Has there been a change? If so, what do you think are the causes?
9. One of the themes of A Second Helping deals with personal growth. List and discuss the characters this theme applies to.
10. Do you think Devon has a true gift for the Word? Will he change his focus as he gets older?
11. Does the Dog and Cow need a new name now that it has been rebuilt? If yes, what might it be called?
12. What do you hope to see if there is a third book in this series?
Dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed A Second Helping. Looking in on the folks of Henry Adams, Kansas, was a treat. Per the title, this is our second visit to the small, all-Black township I created in 1994 for my first published novel, Night Song. Like Henry Adams, Night Song has been given its own second chance. It’s back in print and I thank my publisher, HarperCollins, for the blessing.
Bring on the Blessings, the initial book in this series, generated a host of congratulatory mail and e-mails. Thanks to all the readers who contacted me. A special thanks to all the foster parents and adoptive parents who took time out of their busy days to let me know how much they loved the story and the many ways in which Bring on the Blessings mirrored the experiences of them and their kids. I urge them to stay the course. I also urge anyone who may have been moved by Bernadine’s dream to reach out and share your gifts with a child in need. It will change your life. I promise.
This series has brought many new readers to the Beverly Jenkins table and I welcome you with open arms. I hope the modern-day stories of Henry Adams will pique your interest enough to look into my historical titles and learn more about the Jefferson and July ancestors and the establishment of the real Black townships founded in the wake of the Great Exodus of 1879. African-Americans have a rich history in this country and I am honored to be one of the griots telling our story.
Until next time,
B
About the Author
BEVERLY JENKINS grew up in Detroit and majored in journalism and English literature at Michigan State University. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, People, the Dallas Morning News, Vibe, and many other national publications.
www.beverlyjenkins.net
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Also by Beverly Jenkins
Contemporary
BRING ON THE BLESSINGS
DEADLY SEXY
SEXY/DANGEROUS
BLACK LACE
THE EDGE OF DAWN
THE EDGE OF MIDNIGHT
Historical
CAPTURED
JEWEL
WILD SWEET LOVE
WINDS OF A STORM
SOMETHING LIKE LOVE
BEFORE THE DAWN
ALWAYS AND FOREVER
THE TAMING OF JESSI ROSE
THROUGH THE STORM
TOPAZ
INDIGO
VIVID
NIGHT SONG
Credits
Cover photograph © Mandy Pritty/Getty Images
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A SECOND HELPING. Copyright © 2010 by Beverly Jenkins. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jenkins, Beverly, 1951—
A second helping : a blessings novel / by Beverly Jenkins.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-06-154781-2 (pbk.)
1. Kansas—Fiction. 2. City and town life—Fiction. 3. African Americans—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3560.E4795S43 2010
813'.54—dc22
2009036258
EPub Edition © November 2009 ISBN: 978-0-06-196629-3
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900
Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
A+ Author Insights, Extras & More…
About the Author
Other Books by Beverly Jenkins
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher