“You’ve suffered a terrible tragedy, Jo.” That’s what my doctor keeps telling me. All I know is that I’ve lost everything—my ability to play piano, six years of my life, my will to live…
The only thing keeping Jocelyn ‘Jo’ Hayes from falling apart is her brother, Brighton, whose past is sketchier than her mind. Brighton’s hiding secrets. He refuses to give Jo the answers she needs, but after she meets the mysterious Adam, she decides to keep secrets of her own.
As Jo’s recovery fluctuates, Adam’s purpose in her life grows more confusing. Then Paxton Carr shows up at her door. His resemblance to Adam sends Jo’s on a quest to discover the truth and regain her memories.
But the truth doesn’t always set someone free. Will Jo find the missing pieces of her memory and solve the riddle she calls life, or will the ugly truth destroy what’s left of her mind?
Targeted Age Group:: 18+
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My husband. The five books I published before ‘Heartstrings’ were paranormal romance. He challenged me to write in a different genre or sub-genre. ‘Heartstrings’ was originally a short story and part of a romance anthology with seven other stories. Once my rights to this story were returned, I decided to make it full length.
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
I’m one of those ‘crazy’ writer types who ‘hears’ the voices. My characters show up and tell me their stories. When I first began revising Heartstrings, it was still in third-person. As Jo’s voice grew louder, I realized that this was her story and should be in first-person. Once I switched the point of view, she opened up and told me everything.
Book Sample
It wasn’t until the light above me dimmed that I opened my eyes, half expecting to see my brother. He must have forgotten something, or he’d been waiting in the shadows to see if I would attempt playing the guitar.
I was wrong on all accounts. The man standing before me wasn’t my brother or anyone else I recognized.
His intense eyes roamed around the room before landing on me. Questions formed within them, causing the crease between them to deepen. Something about his presence added an extra nip to the air. Not a discomforting chill. More like stepping into the fresh air of an early spring morning.
I’m not sure how I found comfort in a stranger being in my house, especially after Brighton scared me earlier. Was this even happening? I questioned if my amnesia had affected more than my memories. Perhaps it was affecting my sanity.
Yet something about this mysterious man tugged at my heart. No… It was more than that. He didn’t just stir my heart. He moved my soul. The way his gaze held me in place, as though he saw past the façade that I put on for Brighton. The little crook at the corner of his mouth shook me to the core. When I looked in his eyes, it was like looking into the Caribbean Sea.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I had no answer, but I knew one thing for sure. I had to get my head out of the clouds. For the love of God, I was standing in my bedroom with a strange man. For all I knew, he could be a rapist, or a serial killer, or one of my brother’s pill-popping dope buddies.
Still, something about his presence soothed a side of me that I’d forgotten existed—the woman, not the musician. I wanted someone around, someone to talk to, someone that would see and love the woman within me, not the damaged person I’d become.
He inched closer. When the musky scent of his cologne made it to my nose, my knees trembled. We stared at each other for a solid minute before I finally found my voice again.
“Are you looking for Brighton?” I released the strings under my fingers, sending a muffled note resonating. The question, just like the note, hung in the air.
His mouth parted, but no words slipped past his lips.
The tension between us grew, but it didn’t increase my fear. I lowered my gaze back to the guitar and waited for the last chord to fade. It finally did, but when I peeked up, my entire body tingled. The mysterious stranger had disappeared.
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