by Jordan R. Samuel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
On the evening of the eighteenth of May, a young woman named Cass walks alone into a small village with the intent to stay for exactly one year. Cass soon meets two precocious children, a caring and generous business owner, and the Chief of Police from the neighboring town. Family and loss are parts of many of their stories, and while these people, as well as others, attempt to know and help her, the history and troubled memories of what led Cass to this place begin to gradually unfold. As the potential for love and the pathway for healing become clearer, the date of departure approaches. Cass and those around her will be forced to decide how forcefully they are willing to hold on: to the past, to the pain, and to the person.
On the Eighteenth of May is the story of the people and events that are interwoven throughout Cass’s journey and her life. It is a story that examines the true test of strength in the deepest depths of sorrow, as felt by the human heart. It is a story that explores the perceived helplessness of those within the support structure, and the extent to which those we love can hinder or accelerate the healing process. Finally, it is a story that reminds us of the overwhelming power of comforting influences in all of our lives, as our human souls struggle, against all odds, to survive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
She then noticed a clearing ahead, on the right, amongst the never-ending curtains of forestry that lined the road. She passed a particularly massive tree, with huge limbs and large leaves, and then caught sight of a splotch of white. It was a house, sitting alone atop a small hill and gleaming subtly in the muted moonlight. It looked abandoned and quiet, even starkly quiet compared to the vast silence around it. There was a dark bridge that led over the river and merged into a long winding driveway that led to the house. She glanced back up, and she knew…
This house is the most peaceful…in this place.
She took out the single piece of paper and pen from her backpack. Over the span of a few rushed moments she sketched out the little she could see under the growing canopy of darkness. She wanted to draw the house right away, for there was no predicting what awaited her tomorrow or whether she would actually even see this house again. She had not found it to live in it, or even to visit it. She needed only to know that it existed. She would have the drawing as a reminder. A reminder that there was peace, and it was here.
Upon completion of the drawing, which she determined was a fairly accurate depiction, she folded and tucked the paper safely into the right pocket of her shorts while advancing further into the town in whose borders she was now fully immersed. She did so in full darkness, with no visible creature in sight and no available lodging to be seen. She saw a playground ahead and finally allowed herself to accept the weariness that had been gradually creeping into her mind and joints. Her last memories of the day were a slide, the sound of crickets, and a makeshift backpack pillow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Author:
On the Eighteenth of May…How it all got started.
I have never before, in my entire life, tried writing fiction. As
a professional educator, and now a university professor, I have spent a great
deal of my life writing academic pieces. I have published many peer-reviewed
articles and chapters in various journals and books and have very recently
published a handbook on research regarding effective online course design. I
had always hoped to write a novel, but had never quite made or found the time.
In early 2019, I was busy working on two research articles for my
university, which both happened to fall during a very sad time in my life. Not
to go into too much detail, but one of my family members was very ill, and was
lost and hurting and struggling. And I realized at that period just how sad I
was, over the whole situation . . . over my lack of ability to help in some
meaningful way and over my complete uselessness to make things better. And so,
one day I opened my laptop, but instead of working on the research articles
(like I was SUPPOSED to be doing), I started writing a story. A story filled
with sadness. A story filled with love.
I absolutely love
romance novels, the sweet, simple kind that pack a little mystery and have
characters that I want to root for. This was some of the early feedback I got
from the first reviews that were posted when my novel was first published –
that the characters were people that readers could see as their friends or
neighbors, and that, indeed, many were characters they wanted to root for.
With this being my first novel, several ideas combined at once, from different personal experiences or interests. First, as stated earlier, I was going through a particularly sad time in my life when this novel was first conceptualized, so that was one impetus for some of the particularly sad themes in the novel. While the story in the novel in no way reflects the actual situation I was experiencing with my family member, the mood of the novel certainly does. In addition, I have visited the Blue Ridge mountain region of North Carolina on many occasions, and have found that there are few places on earth quite as lovely as the Chimney Rock and Lake Lure areas, so the setting of the novel, for me, was an easy choice. Many of the ideas for the most stunning scenes of the novel (yes, for those of you who have read the novel, I’m talking about Chapters 27 and 30) were inspired by the beautiful history and stories of the Cherokee Nation. Their legacy and lore is a key part of the love story that unfolds On the Eighteenth of May.
And,
of course, the novel has a tragic love story as a central theme. I tried to
write the two characters in the relationship with a little detail and a lot to
be imagined. I tried to help the reader in getting to know them better and
better as the story developed, but not giving away too much about how they
might react to a particular situation. And, of course, since the novel tells
the whole story through back and forth point of views (from each of them) we
get to see a lot more of what each one is thinking than the actual love
interest does. Hopefully, it makes for a captivating yet sad love story that will hold your
attention throughout.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jordan R. Samuel is a former public school teacher and administrator who enjoys her current work as an Assistant Professor of Education. She spends her days with her husband and her three children as she teaches, studies and writes. She immensely enjoys travelling, and penned many parts of this particular story while relaxing in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ontheeighteenthofmay/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20148821.Jordan_R_Samuel
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jordan-R-Samuel/e/B087CB3RTF/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jordan R. Samuel will be awarding a $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
RAFFLECOPTER:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
