There’s a reason I chased this book dream of being traditionally published with such heart. To tell this story, I need to rewind a little. And warn you, this is a late-bloomer story. I began writing fiction at 46, and I published my first book, The Summer I Found You, at 52. These numbers are significant and very personal to me. As I look back, it was all written in the stars.
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My sister Jackie was 46 when she passed away unexpectedly. She was fifteen years older than me and, in all aspects, a second mother. I remember sitting in the pew at her funeral with my oldest on my lap. He was only one at the time. All I could think about was that she had so much life ahead of her and so many dreams left still to chase. In that moment, I didn’t know how, but I told myself that at 46 I would do something exceptionally brave and BIG, for her. Again, I was only 33 at the time, just starting my family. But the seed was planted.
Another number was permanently etched in my heart alongside 46; it was 52. It was the number my mother was when she was first diagnosed with COPD. It was four months before my high school graduation. We didn’t know it then, but her steady decline over the five years would steal all of her second-season plans and dreams. By 53, she was on oxygen; by 54, she was approved for a lung transplant; by 55, she was granted a feeding tube; by 56, she was passed over for a lung transplant because of her weight; and at 57, she passed away from complications from pneumonia.
My sister and my mother are at the forefront of my mind and heart as I chase my own second-season dreams. They are my driver. They are my why. I do it for them (and for the six-year-old me who struggled to read and write). So as I head into year 53, I have some solid dreams for this next year, including a second book deal, the Drew Barrymore Show, and dare I say, a book-to-film offer. You know what they say: “Dream big or go home.” I know if they’re up there, they’re saying as they cheer me on, “You’ve only got one life, so LIVE it. And chase those dreams with all you’ve got.”
If you haven’t read my book, you can check it out HERE.
A recently divorced single mom returns to her family’s fixer-upper beach house and finds romance amidst the heartbreak—and truths buried under generations of lies—in this summertime romance, perfect for fans of The Beach House and Nora Goes Off Script.
If you like audiobooks, then you’ll be blown away by the narrators of The Summer I Found You. My favorite female narrator is the lead. If you read romance, then you know Samantha Brentmoor. And she just may be your favorite, too! Greyson Owens is in it as well and is incredible!
Have a happy day, friend!
