Keep You for 99cents

It doesn't seem possible that it's been over two years since my first novel was released. In so many ways it felt like blinking, those years. And in others, I can see the time laid out in exacting detail, chronicled by the words, pages, and books I've written since. All caught up in the Dartmoor scene right now, I admit that I overlook some of my earlier work, and that's not fair to the Walkers! They were all-consuming, when I wrote their five books. When I let my mind wander back to them, I smile, because they brought me such joy as a writer. So on this awfully cold day, I wanted to share the first in the series with all of you for 99cents.

Keep You is a family drama, centering around the youngest of the five Walker children, Jo, and her childhood sweetheart, Tam. Reunited by Jo's brother's wedding, they travel to Ireland, and discover how very much in love they still are. Tam has past demons to wrestle with, though, if they can ever hope to find their happy ending.

The novel is told in a "Then" and "Now" style, clearly marked flashbacks providing the background for the current action in Ireland. Some readers really enjoy this method, while others don't. Originally, I pitched Keep You as a romance novel, but then discovered, through feedback from early readers, that it was more of a family drama. It's more about the family, their love, their acceptance of Tam, than it is about anything steamy or romantic. I've been really surprised by the number of men who've picked it up, and really enjoyed it.

My book club read it last year, and during out discussion, one of my fellow book clubbers pulled this quote from the text:

Dreams were for children - for little girls who didn't understand their parents' money woes and who believed in magic, the power of wishes, and the authenticity of meant-to-be love.

And he said he felt like this was a representative line, one of the novel's central themes. It's been wonderful for me to hear what different readers interpreted from the text, what their takeaway is.

So if your primary interest is MC fiction, this might not be the book for you. But if you like sweet stories, I think you'd really enjoy Tam and Jo's. The novel is about family, love in all its forms, acceptance - of one another, of our standing in life, of circumstances beyond our control. Give it a try, if you feel up to it, and happy reading.

You can find it right here.