Catch My Heart - My new story that is on kindle vella NOW for FREE!

 

    Okay, I know what you're thinking! Actually, I don't. If, however, you're asking yourself, what's a straight white male from the middle of America doing writing a romance novel starring a female character and not attaching a pen name to the novel, when so far in this novelists career he is known for a horror/noir novella series, then maybe this blog entry will help answer that particular question.

    The Truth of the matter is this: I don't want to be restricted by genre when it comes to my writing. I don't want to be known as the horror writer guy, the corner of the room that so many writers get backed into. For me, nothing annoys me more in media, than to see an author, actor, director, game creator etc., be backed into a corner and only be required to work in that and only that, specific corner they've been successful in. I love seeing artists take chances. Not every one hits, there's plenty of misses, but when they do they can make something really special. You should be able to express yourself through your art. I have, many, many story ideas.  More than I will probably ever get to. Will quite a few of them fall nicely into the horror genre? Absolutely. It's a genre I love, it's a genre that is comfortable to me.

    What is not comfortable to me is the romance genre. I don't even know that I've ever actually read a romance novel before. It's possible I have, but nothing springs to mind when I try to think about it. This whole thing started as a potential for hire writing job. After thinking the job over and the potential strain it might put on my family at this particular moment, I declined to move forward with that job.

    However, at that time, an idea had already set into my head. I don't know about fiction and the romance genre in fiction, but I have seen countless romantic, romantic comedy movies and TV shows. The idea was about a young woman, who had dedicated herself solely to her work, to the detriment of nearly every other aspect of her life, finds that she has to return to her hometown to take care of her dying father. When returning to her hometown, she finds herself involved in a love triangle with her childhood best friend and her childhood crush. 

    As I was writing the sixth story in my horror/noir series: Haunted: A Noir Series (of which the first three stories of the first season as I call it is now available on kindle and as well as a paperback version of each) this idea wouldn't leave my head. So I started looking for stock photos for a cover (I'm hoping this works the way I think it does, otherwise this might not be the cover forever) and I found the above cover. As I was looking at that image, I thought of the title: Catch My Heart and the story started to further develop.

    I don't know how it is for other writers, but as I'm writing or thinking about writing, I start to get images in my head. The characters reveal details of themselves to me. I begin to hear their dialog in my head and I start to make notes. I don't outline, I'm of the Stephen King method of writing, with the mouse hole and the string. The writer pulls on the string and describes what it reveals. To me, it's as if these stories are out there and it's my job to relay them to any potential readers. This story was almost begging to be told, so I'm telling it.

    As I said, I don't know that Catch My Heart is specifically a romantic genre novel. I'm not well versed enough in them to be able to claim that. Certainly, when I think of them, Catch My Heart is my best attempt at telling one of these stories. I'm not trying to break the mold or anything here, you're not going to find a second act twist that brings Catch My Heart into the horror genre (though there are some fun Easter eggs). This is truly, my best effort at this specific moment in time, to tell a romantic story. 

    Catch My Heart is launching on the kindle vella platform, a platform I may actually have chosen for Haunted: A Noir Series, had it existed when I launched Haunt, the first story in the series. kindle vella was launched after I had published that story though and is a platform for novellas. The first three chapters will be available for free, you can find it on your kindle app in the kindle vella section or click the link below! Catch My Heart is designed to be a novel eventually and as such will remain on kindle vella through it being finished and will then be transferred over to the kindle and paperback formats I'm more accustomed to.  

I hope you enjoy!

Synopsis - Mary-Beth Parker has everything she's worked her entire life for, a great job and a place to live in New York City that overlooks Central Park. Then, she receives a phone call that uproots her life and sends her back to her hometown of Valentine, Alabama. There, Mary-Beth goes on a journey of self discovery and learns that home is truly where the heart is.

Availability - The first chapter is available NOW and is free here!