Yearnings
Ever have a voice in the distance regions of you mind call out, beckon to be heard, demand you take some course, but the sounds are confusing, unclear. You can make out a few words, but the pending intent is obscured so you ignore it. For years, I felt that yearning, heard indecipherable echoes, until about five years before I retired, then I realized what it was trying to tell me.
It was the roots of my youth calling me back, summoning me to the environment I enjoyed as a small boy. You see, when I was but a lad, my dad ripped me out of the countryside and plopped us down in a major metropolitan area. Whenever I wasn’t working on Saturday, I would hike the park reserves, the state forests, or the wooded areas around the watershed where I lived. In some strange way, it gave me peace, purged the frustrations with modern life in the fast lane. Finally, it hit me, what I really wanted, to return to my past. To quench this thirst for a simpler existence, we moved to SW Virginia, rediscovered the wonder of country life, and I have loved every minute since my return.
That yearning to resolve the distant call from a time gone by was the initial seed for my upcoming release, BLIND CONSENT. I based many of the scenes on my recollection of the wonderful people of a lost era in the improvised south were I was raised. I even flavored the story with memories of my childhood sweethearts, but with an intriguing twist for the fictional characters.
Ryan Mitchell is visited by confusing dreams, visions he doesn’t comprehend of a boy and a young girl with an intertwined past that reaches into his present life. Problem is, when Ryan returns to his birthplace, things are not what they seem. The town of Tanglewood Falls offers breath-taking views, yet the serendipity is misleading. The wonderful people of this forgotten community in the center of the Horseshoe Mountains have been unwittingly exploited. Their act of trust and blind consent altered their existence and the secret has remained buried, until Ryan returns to explore his heritage. His search for the truth, an explanation to his dreams and the hidden guilt they provoke; everything collides with the folklore of the simple people and the belief that their beautiful Annie is blessed. Together, Ryan and Annie unravel the mystery, but at a price. They become targets of those responsible for what happened to the town. As the truth is exposed, Ryan must grapple with his own reality; the fact that his past, his nightmares, and Annie’s secret, everything is entangled in the desperate act of one lonely man.
The romantic suspense BLIND CONSENT will be released in April/09. For a preview, check out the excerpts provided at Davisstories.com, and remember: the answers you seek are buried in the secrets of the past.
Michael Davis
Davisstories.com
Romancesuspensenovels.com
TheWritersVineyard.com
Thanks, Martha. I really enjoyed working with Candace, even thought she is a bit head strong (g). We just submitted our joint project, Veil of Deception, to the publisher. We’ll post several excerpts to that one, once we get accepted by a publisher. I’ll be running a contest soon for some neat book markers from Blind Consent. Check my site in about a month.
Big Mike
Davisstories.com
BTW – the hero’s mother is named Martha
Your books sound so good Michael! I have to get one soon to read!! I may not want to wait till April.
And I didn’t realize that you and Candace worked together – Way Cool. (Well that phrase may date me a bit!) I liked checking out the blog!
Back at ya, girl
Big Mike
Well, as your sometimes writing partner I know I can’t offer an unbiased opinion but…I can’t wait until this book comes out. So far Big Mike has never disappointed me with the quality of his works and I’m sure Blind Consent will be no exception!
And for anyone who wonders what it’s like for a male and female author to work together on a joint project, just check out our blog at https://romancesuspensenovels.com.
The specific town “Tanglewood Falls” is fictional but the location upon which the story was based is real and east of Buena Vista, VA. The scenes, and many of the people where real. For example, Alice, Annie, Aunt May, and Martha, where real ladies in my past. The giant Mouse was a young friend of mine. The descriptions of the stores, the homes, the gatherings, all of those things are from memories as a boy. Including when Ryan’s father ripped him away from his hometown and plopped him in the city, that was all true. The secret that haunts the town, the mysterious pattern Ryan observes, the sinister act le ied by a few on the unsuspecting improvished people of the town, now thats fictional.
Will people recognize themselves? Not likely. Most have passed away. But I recognize myself in there (g).
Big Mike
Davisstories.com
Romancesuspensenovels.com
TheWritersVineyard.com
Sounds like a really great story set in a fascinating region of the east. Being a western gal myself, I’ve never been there but would love to read about it.
So, does the story mirror an experience from your own childhood – based on reality? Will the characters in the book recognize themselves when they read it?
Aren’t you sweet, Kim. Yeah, have to wait. E version will be out probably April 1 with paperback 4 to 6 weeks later. Thanx.
Big Mike
Davisstories.com
Romancesuspensenovels.com
TheWritersVineyard.com
Wow, this sounds great!
But April?
You’re going to make us wait that long?