Ryan
Jo Summers, an author who also lives in North Carolina, stopped by to share her new release, September’s Song. Take it away,
Ryan Jo!
Thanks, Nancy. I am really excited
about this women's fiction/ metaphysical novel! "September's Song" is
my first fictional self-published novel. After publishing several books through
traditional presses, I felt like A) a challenge and B) this script wasn't going
to fit into most publisher's niches due to its broad range of topics it covers.
Examples are aging parent with Alzheimer's, amnesia, military corruption,
estranged siblings, and more. I also decided to do this project as a birthday
present for myself. I'd hoped to release it in early October, 2018, however it
became available a few weeks early. Oh well. The seed for this story came to me
via an email a friend sent me some years back. It was a bunch of randomly
connected photos One picture was a boy handing a stryofoam carton over to a
homeless man. It was a cold day, with the boy bundled up and the man huddled
under a blanket. That photo became how the hero, Keegan, met his son, Jory. But
I am getting ahead of myself.
Book
Blurb
Ivey London was told her military husband died on a mission
overseas. She buried him as a war hero and tried to move on with her life by
raising their young son, dealing with her vengeful brother, and coping with her
mother’s Alzheimer’s. Five years go by and one day she learns of a secret
underground chamber were special soldiers are imprisoned to recover. Further,
one amnesiac soldier managed to escape. When her son begins to display unusual
behaviors, she goes to investigate. All evidence points to finding her late
husband. If it is him, back from the dead, Ivey refuses to give him up again.
Keegan London awoke in a hospital cell with no memories.
Fleeing, he finds himself in a strange, unknown world, with no one to turn to.
Until he finds a friendly Priest who runs a homeless shelter and he stumbles
across the woman who claims to be his wife. While she can fill some gaps in his
lost memories, she cannot explain his curious abilities. Pursued by someone
determined to get him back, Keegan has few options but to trust the woman who
makes his heart fire like a cannon. Ivey has dibs on him, but first they have
to uncover who—and what--Keegan really is before they can recover what they
had.
Excerpt
from September’s Song
“No, that’s okay. I can do this by
myself.” She spun around, blinking. Picking up the paring knife again, she
began peeling. She gasped as his arms gently encircled her waist and his breath
fanned her bare neck. His lips nuzzled her ear and she closed her eyes. His
hand took the knife from her fingers and she leaned into his touch.
“Keegan,” his name came out in a
throaty rumble as her eyes slid closed.
“I don’t know what we used to do,
Ivey, but I can tell you miss it bad. I’m willing to try and be your husband
again, if you’ll help me.”
Hot tears stung her eyes. She
swallowed hard. “So many times you said I was unforgettable. I…I guess--.”
The comment died unfinished, and his fingers
reached down and caressed her back. Electric jolts shivered along her
spine.
“Don’t push me away, Ivey. Let me be
in each part of your life.”
Her breath hitched. This should be
easy. Just tell him how they used to cook, what his favorite foods were, what
they shared, how they made wonderful love. And miraculously all his memories
will reappear. Except it hadn’t worked yet.
From the distant reaches of her mind,
Ivey heard the phone ringing. Before she could pull herself away from the
counter, it stopped. Assuming Jory answered it, the whole episode passed from
her mind. Right now, Keegan took all her focus.
His fingertips trailed lazily up and
down her back, igniting tiny fires in their wake.
“Keegan….I….” Words failed her. Heart
beating frantically like a wild bird locked in a cage, her mind surrendered.
He gently turned her around, cupping
her chin and tilting her up. Drawing a husky breath, he lowered his lips to
hers, winding his fingers in the tangle of her hair. Her arms moved to encircle
his waist, slipping under his shirt to feel the raised scars and corded
muscles. A guttural moan escaped her.
Finally, having lost all concept of
time, she pulled apart. Noble, he would not go further with a woman he did not remember
making love to. She might respect his intention and restraint, but the unmet
need was also killing her. Pulling in a shaky breath, she ended the kiss,
stepping away and picking up the paring knife again.
She ran her tongue over her lips, more
to steady herself, and rested one hand on the counter for balance. “I can work
on this if you want to go see what Jory and Mom are doing.”
Keegan stiffened, hesitated and
studied her. For a chilling moment, she hoped he ignored her request and lifted
her bodily to carry her away to the bedroom. Then a darkness entered his eyes,
a sadness that cut into her chest.
“Yes. Of course.” Spinning, he exited,
leaving her alone with the ghosts of what had been.
Damn,
damn, damn.
Buy Links for September’s
Song
More
About the Author
Ryan
Jo Summers writes romances that blur the lines of subgenres. She mixes
contemporary with time travel, Christian, suspense, sweet, and paranormal like
blending a fruit and yogurt smoothie. Her non-fiction works have appeared in
numerous trade journals and magazines including ‘WNC Woman Magazine’, ‘Critter Magazine’, ‘Journey Devotions’, and ‘Vet Tech Journal’. She is a regular
contributing author for the ‘Asheville
Pet Gazette’.
Her
hobbies include baking, crafts, gardening, enjoying nature, and
chess/mah-jongg/word-find puzzles. She pet sits/dog walks when she’s not busy
writing and she fosters homeless pets for area animal rescues.
She
lives in a century-old cottage in North Carolina with her own menagerie of
rescued pets and way too many houseplants. “September’s
Song” is her second self-published work, the first one being the chronicles
of the first two years with her adopted PTSD rescue collie. Connect with her
here:
Nancy, thank you so much for hosting me and "September's Song" today! I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and thanks for sharing your book!
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