Heartsight by Kay Springsteen
On a secluded beach in North Carolina, three lonely people find hope in each other.
Trish Evers is an artist and single mother, who has inherited her grandmother's Bed and Breakfast in a North Carolina coastal town. Though she must sell the house, she decides to bring her daughter to the beach for one last summer vacation in her childhood town.
Bella is a six-year-old girl who has Down syndrome. Rejected by her father, Trish, is the only parent she's ever known. Bella likes to explore the beach and has a tendency to wander off. One day, Bella goes exploring on her own, and Trish finds her in the company of an intriguing stranger.
Dan Conway is a U.S. Marine, who had been born into a family of Marines. Now blind as a result of combat injuries and unable to "suit up," he feels he no longer has a purpose in life. He's come home to the beach, where he spends his days in solitude. Dan must learn to believe in himself and to love life again, which he begins to do through his interactions with Bella and Trish. When a hurricane strikes, and Bella wanders off again, her only hope for rescue is Dan.
Working within the confines of his blindness, he must overcome his fear of failure and recall his training in order to search for the little girl and bring her to safety.
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Author bio:
Kay Springsteen grew up in Michigan but transplanted to the south about 10 years ago and now resides in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia with her five small dogs. Two of her four children live nearby, a married son who has a daughter of his own, and one of her twins. The other twin lives just outside of USMC Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Her oldest daughter still resides in Michigan. When she's not writing, she is transcribing and editing medical reports. Besides being an avid reader, hobbies include photography, gardening, hiking and camping, and of course spending time with her terrific G-baby. She is a firm believer in happily ever after endings and believes there is one out there for everyone; it just may not be exactly what you expect or think you want.
A random fact about your story. The bedtime story Dan tells Bella is one I made up years ago to tell my own children one fretful night.
A random fact about you as an author. I am a camera geek and when I go shooting, I carry no less than five cameras and lenses.
Favorite line in the story (can be funny, romantic, etc). "God, if you're there, this would be the time for a miracle."
How did you get the idea for your book? A combination of animated movie from the 1990s, a blind supporting character in a current favorite TV show, and the inspiring stories of wounded warriors who desire to stay in military service made me realize I wanted a blind war hero. Everything else fell into place and I drew on many of my own life's experiences in the writing. .
What are you currently working on? A story between two artists who meet on Mackinac Island in Michigan. Of course, there are histories and complications.
Is this your first published book? Heartsight is my first published novel.
Vanilla or Chocolate - A little of each. I always order a twist when I go to DQ.
A random fact about you as an author. I am a camera geek and when I go shooting, I carry no less than five cameras and lenses.
Favorite line in the story (can be funny, romantic, etc). "God, if you're there, this would be the time for a miracle."
How did you get the idea for your book? A combination of animated movie from the 1990s, a blind supporting character in a current favorite TV show, and the inspiring stories of wounded warriors who desire to stay in military service made me realize I wanted a blind war hero. Everything else fell into place and I drew on many of my own life's experiences in the writing. .
What are you currently working on? A story between two artists who meet on Mackinac Island in Michigan. Of course, there are histories and complications.
Is this your first published book? Heartsight is my first published novel.
Vanilla or Chocolate - A little of each. I always order a twist when I go to DQ.
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up? A teacher and I even got as far as student teaching but then realized I was not cut out for it...then I had five kids lol.
What was the scariest moment of your life? When my kids and nephew were in an inflatable raft heading out to the middle of Lake Huron in 65-degree water (trust me, that's chilly) and no one was there but me who could save them. I got into water up to my chest and had a hard time breathing because I have asthma. The raft was still over 100 feet away and still traveling with the offshore wind, and I said out loud, "Oh, God, I need help." I MEANT it casually, as people all to frequently use the phrase, "Oh, God." But then I was at the raft without realizing how I got there. I no longer felt the cold of the lake water, and was able to tow them in. The cold only hit after they were all safe.
How do you develop your plots and characters? There is no one way. I find an inspiration - can be from music, a news story, something I see on the street, a dream...and I let the idea form and stew for a while before I do anything with it. Then as the various pieces begin to fall into place, I start research.
Do you listen to music while writing? I make soundtracks for my stories, including a main theme, and themes for various scenes and characters.
Plotter or Pantser? Why? Plotter but not in the way you would imagine. I always have a beginning and an end. In the planning process, I figure out some of the stops along the way but then sometimes when writing what seemed like a gem of an idea turns to glass and the plot twists and bends in a different direction. I do a rough outline before I start and I know where my characters are going, pretty much how they will get there. I do extensive characterization and really get to know each character before I start writing.
Do you have a writing routine? I write anywhere, anytime, often in my head while doing other things.
What inspires you? Everything has the potential to inspire me.
Tell us something about yourself that your readers might not expect. I have 2000 songs on my MP3 player ranging from classical to new age, to classic rock to new rock, to pop, to stuff from the 1940s, to country, and even a little Rap. Sometimes, when I have a question about what to do next, I ask the MP3 gods by setting the player to random and hitting "next." You will have to guess whether I listen to the answer and follow the advice of an electronic device set on random or not.
Favorite Muppet? Gonzo.
Favorite movie and why? Too many to name. I am a movie junkie.
What are your goals for this year? To finish two more full length novels, one I'm in the middle of and one that's just an idea on the drawing board, and to rework a third.
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Blog: http://kayspringsteen.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kay-Springsteen-Author-of-Romance/143469035711422
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Purchases made through the Astraea Press website between March 1 and June 1 will generate a $1 donation to the USO for the Wounded Warrior Program.
Will be available through the following:
Astrea Press http://www.astraeapress.com
Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/
Amazon http://www.amazon.com
All Romance eBooks http://www.allromancebooks.com/
Congrats on the release Kay! Being from Michigan myself I know the Great Lakes can be scary. Love that you did this story about someone in the military. These types of stories have a special place in my heart!
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