I’ve always been told to write what’s in my heart. I stand by that 100%!

I may not be writing the thing that’s popular in the industry, or the books that meet industry standards, but I enjoy being unique.

I don’t have time to read as much as I’d like to, because I’m spending so much of my time writing. But sometimes I think I’m shooting myself in the foot. It’s important to know what’s out there, even if I’m not trying to be trendy.

Why am I telling you all this?

Well …

A year ago I was inspired to write a young adult novel. Up until then, all of my work had been geared toward the women’s fiction and/or romance market. The idea for my young adult novel came after I finished writing “A Golden Life” and wanted to write another contemporary novel with magical realism.

Because my new book, “He’s in My Dreams,” is about a seventeen-year-old girl with terminal leukemia, I decided to write it for the young adult market. Little did I know that another book with similar subject matter had recently hit the bookstores and movie theaters. You now understand why I mentioned shooting myself in the foot. I’m sure any of you reading this know what book/movie I’m referring to without my even stating the title. You’re probably asking yourself if I’d been living in a closet the last few years. Nope. Just glued to my desk, writing where my heart led.

I wasn’t made aware of the book until one of my Beta readers told me about it. I’d given her “Dreams” to test read. She’d read the other book and told me that my timing might be a little off. BUT, the good thing is that she also told me that my book is nothing like the other story.  Better still, she said she liked it! Her encouragement helped me so much. (Thank you, Melissa!)

And though my timing might be bad, I’m pushing forward. I want to share Amber’s story with the world. The industry might be screaming, ‘no, not another one,’ but it doesn’t matter. Like I said at the beginning of this post, I’m not the industry sort of author. I write what’s in my heart. And boy, oh, boy, did it get wrenched writing Amber’s story. I cry every time I do a read-through. But I’m happy to say that my book ends with hope.

I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like facing a terminal illness with your child. And for those of you who have, God bless you. I pray that my story will do justice to the difficulties you faced, and honor the love you’ll always have for the precious life you lost.

HE’S IN MY DREAMS

Amber’s just seventeen, but wants to die. With no chance of remission, she’s tired of pain.

Regret makes her even more miserable. She’s never been in love. Never had that first kiss. She wants to know what it feels like.

When she asks her mom, she’s so bitter about her own past, she refuses to answer Amber’s questions. About men. About sex. And most importantly, about what it’s like to fall in love.

Then Amber meets Ryder, and everything changes. He’s exactly what she’d hoped for in a guy. Funny, smart, kind, and better looking than any actor she’s seen on TV. When she’s with him, she forgets her pain. He makes her want to live again.

There’s just one problem with her newfound love. He exists only in her dreams.

He’s in My Dreams is a young adult novel set in the beautiful city of Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. It will be available on Amazon in both e-book format as well as paperback. Release is planned for mid-to-late April.