Friday, March 11, 2016

Inspiration. A Glimpse of Eternity by Ryan Jo Summers





I have Ryan Jo Summers on my blog today, talking about the inspiration for her new book.


Inspiration:

 This story was written for two reasons. One, it started as therapy. I'd been handed some medical news I was reeling with, struggling to find ways to cope. A friend suggested I write about out. So I invented Kasey Griffin and gave her MS, which gave us some of the same daily struggles. Kasey became my alter ego. Then to add to her problems, I gave her a love interest-- Ben Salem, who came from my crush on Harry Connick Jr. Handsome, charming, funny and musically incline; Harry and Ben both have it all. That was the start of the story.


Years before that, I had been driving home Valentine's evening from work and spotted a bouquet of roses in the middle of the road. Wondering what could have led to them being discarded there, my writer's mental wheels pondered that for a while. Once I started penning 'Glimpse Eternity', the roses had to become part of the story.



Blurb:
 

        Kasey Griffin is determined to prove a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis isn't going to ruin her life or define her expectations. She is dedicated to her pregnant sister, her pets and operating her bookstore, 'The Next Chapter'. She has everything she needs to have a full and satisfying life--the daily challenges of her condition notwithstanding.  

         Then hunky musician Ben Salem rolls into town. Ben's subtle charm quickly reminds Kasey she is more than a woman with a disease, she is also a woman with a heart. And Ben wants it.

         Will Ben still desire her once he learns the terrible details of he condition? 



Excerpt:



         Silence hung between them. She shifted from foot to foot. Should she offer coffee, cook breakfast, or ask what happened that he spent the night? Self-consciously, she tugged at her hair again. Muttonchop whined at the tension slowly filling the room.



    “So, does that happen often?” he asked slowly, cautiously, reaching out to pat Muttonchop. “Last night?”



    Her eyes widened, breath caught. She felt like a deer in the headlights. So this was where he was going to walk out, she decided. Thomas padded into the room and sat, watching them. She wanted to scoop the big cat up, to hold him as a shield from what was to come. He was going to ask just enough questions to find out what was wrong with her and then decide it wasn't for him. Who would want her once he knew? She took a breath, steeling herself for the inevitable.



    “Sometimes.”



    He considered that, tilting his head. “Have you seen a doctor? It seems kind of out of character for you.” He cracked a quick grin. “Please don’t look like I’m scaring you because it’s starting to scare me.”



    He was scared? She was terrified. She pulled in a hard breath. “I have seen a doctor. It's complicated.”


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   Bio: 

   Ryan Jo Summers is a North Carolina writer who likes to pen romances with a twist. Love stories blended as inspirational, with paranormal, suspense or time travel--or several at once. She also writes non-fiction for regional periodicals. Her dad is a songwriter and his aunt wrote poetry, so Ryan came by the writing gene honestly.

         Her hobbies include poetry, bird watching, houseplants and gardening, gathering with friends, hiking in the forest, painting canvas and ceramics, and working wiggly word find puzzles, mah johngg or chess.  She lives in a 1920 cottage with a menagerie of pets. She often daydreams of the shore and frequently uses water as settings in her stories.






Links:










 Buy Links:




3 comments:

  1. Maggie, thank you for the visit. Have a lovely weekend!
    RJS

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  2. I love romance stories that feature symbolism and the roses is a fantastic way to do that. Just reading the dialogue in the blurb above shows me this is a book worth reading. Love realistic chatter between characters!

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    Replies
    1. Kim, thank you for your kind words. I am delighted in how the roses came through in the cover. What a perfect fit for the story. Enjoy!

      ~~RJS

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