I’m excited to announce that my first novel, Surrendered, is being released by Celebrate Lit Publishing on April 30th. For those of you who are my loyal followers, this won’t be a big revelation. To be honest, even though I signed the contract back in June, I haven’t quite grasped the reality of it. To become a published novelist has been a dream since I was twelve and it doesn’t feel quite real.
What excites me almost as much is that my readers will get to know (and hopefully, love) Tess, Jake and Katie as I have. I finished the novel over four years ago, but it sat, locked away on my computer, until God’s perfect timing. However, shutting the book away didn’t keep the characters quiet. They’ve lived in my mind, like old friends, since the day they were conceived. Here is a look at the back cover copy—since it’ll be out for all to see soon enough, I don’t think I’m giving too much away.
After the reading of her father’s will, Tess O’Shay’s panic attacks return. In death, Sean O’Shay is attempting to accomplish what he couldn’t do in life—force Tess to finish her education, a dream she abandoned after being raped on campus. Unless she complies with her father’s wishes, she will lose all claim to the only home she’s ever known as well as to the family business. Worse, she’ll have to give up guardianship of her younger sister to Jake Holland, a secretive man fleeing from his past. Fine! She’ll show Jake and her father. She’ll muster whatever meager energy and strength she has, get her degree, and keep what matters most to her.
No matter what.
Then the man who assaulted her reappears, shattering what little strength she has left. Now she must dig deep to find the remnants of her mustard-seed faith…because that’s the only way she can face the past and right a wrong in order to secure the future.
Stay tuned for more to come, including how I discovered these characters, some historical tidbits about the setting, and quotes from the book. The best way to stay up-to-date, however, is to sign up for my newsletter. And, as a gift to you for doing so, you’ll receive a novella I just recently finished called Seasons. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
Another release, not quite on the same par as that of the novel, is the book Chicken Soup for the Soul: Lessons from the Dog. A story I submitted months ago about my Bichon Einstein will be published in this anthology. My sweet dog passed away last summer, on his fifteenth birthday, so this story is especially close to my heart as it’s a way for him to live on. It should be available on April 9th. If you’re a dog lover, this is a book that’ll interest you.
Comments 3
Love the cover … Looking so forward to being one of the first to buy and read this book.
If Tess, Katie, and Jake have been living in your mind so long, will there be any sequels?
Author
No, but I’m writing a prequel–a novella my publisher will use as an incentive when marketing Surrendered.