An Excerpt from
Decide To Hope
by
June A. Converse
“Kathleen, I swear to you that if you are ever in my bed, it won’t
be fucking.” He punctuated the final words and wiped away the single tear that
moved down her cheek. He leaned across the table, nuzzled her face, and said
into her damaged ear, “What I want is for you
to be safe. What I
want is for you to never push me away, for you to let me make you safe again.”
Relaxing back into the bench, he added, “What is it you want, my Kathleen, what
do you want?
I’ll move heaven and earth to be what you need.”
Her eyes widened and her face
jerked out of his hand. Tears streamed down her face. Staring at him, showing
him her weariness and her abject terror, her blue irises turned a stormy gray.
“They’re gone, Matt.” She spoke
with an eerily calm voice. “All of them.
Everyone I’ve ever loved. Gone. I’m so
tired, Matt. Do you understand?” She pushed away from the table. Her gray eyes
blazed inches from his own. “I want to be gone, too.”
Matt’s arms thwomped onto the
table. He sat immobile as Kathleen raced out the door into the pouring rain.
The restaurant door thwacked behind her. Shaking himself, he realized she’d
left her sunglasses, her bag, and even her shoes. The impact of the last few
seconds held him in his seat. Time seemed to stop. Sound dropped away. The
shadow of her danced behind his closed eyes.
Decide
to Hope
An unimaginable trauma.
A future that seems impossible.
When your world shatters, how do you put it back together?
A future that seems impossible.
When your world shatters, how do you put it back together?
For 950 days, Kathleen Conners has struggled with that choice. Behind a scarf and sunglasses, she hides from the world, from herself, from The Event, from any future with anyone.
After receiving a box of letters from his deceased mother, Matt Nelson is shoved from his predictable, controlled life to a secluded beach in North Carolina. While trying to understand his mother's intent, he discovers Kathleen.
Matt must choose whether to follow the path his mother orchestrated or rescue the woman who has captured his heart. When the only person Kathleen blames more than herself reappears, can Matt be the strength Kathleen needs to create a new life, or will he be forced to walk away if she decides the climb is too great?
Matt must choose whether to follow the path his mother orchestrated or rescue the woman who has captured his heart. When the only person Kathleen blames more than herself reappears, can Matt be the strength Kathleen needs to create a new life, or will he be forced to walk away if she decides the climb is too great?
~
Author, June happily resides in
Sandy Springs, Georgia, with her husband, Dave, and their dog, Sodapop. They have two wonderful adult children and
two grandchildren. She is an
enthusiastic exerciser and an accomplished cook. She and her husband enjoy hiking with
Sodapop, traveling, scuba diving, trying new restaurants, concerts, and
whatever other adventures they can find.
Reading and a constant desire to learn keeps her busy too.
A trauma survivor who
struggles with mental illness, June is continuously reaching for hope like the
characters in her books. She openly
discusses her personal struggles on her blog, JuneConverse.com
Decide to Hope is her first novel and relies a great deal on her
own experience with trauma, choices, recovery and hope. If you’d like to discuss trauma, coping and
recovery, contact her at JuneConverse.com or DecideToHope.com
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