On the Eighteenth of May
by Jordan R. Samuel
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GENRE: Romance
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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.
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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.
A Word With the Author:
1. Did you always want to be an author?
Absolutely! And, in fact, I have been an author for a long time – just not a fiction author. As a thirty-year public school educator, then a college professor, I can honestly say that I have written quite a lot in my lifetime. But writing a novel is very different, as I would soon learn when I set out in 2019 to write On the Eighteenth of May. Once the “dream” of writing a novel started to materialize into a reality, I really had to pinch myself! To see the story coming together was an amazing feeling!
2. Tell us about the publication of your first book.
One day I just opened my laptop…
Well, there’s a little more to it than that.
In early 2019, I was busy working on two research articles for my university, which both happened to be due 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.
When friends ask me what my novel is about, I usually just say, “it’s a sad love story,” and that seems to suffice. And then, these same friends, after reading the novel, will tell me that there were some happy parts as well, and some parts that made them smile. Smiles. Tears. A range of emotions is all I could hope for as a novelist!
With this being my first novel, several ideas combined at once, from different personal experiences or interests. First, as I was going through a particularly sad time in my life when this novel was first conceptualized, my overall demeanor served as 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. I was honored to embed just a little of the Cherokee influence into the story that unfolded, and I believe these elements of nature, along with the themes of strength and healing, made for a lovely literary encounter.
3. Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?
I absolutely love Nicholas Sparks’ novels. Especially the ones that end with at least a little bit of happiness or hope. I love his style of writing and the easy, enjoyable flow of his stories.
4. What’s the best part of being an author? The worst?
The best part of being an author is starting each day with a blank canvas! Even if I am in the middle of finishing a chapter, when I open the laptop back up and start typing, it is a new day. I can go in the direction I meant to go yesterday or I can take things in a slightly different direction. The amount of creative freedom is so enjoyable, but also a huge responsibility. By the time I get into chapter three or four of my books, I am already so invested in my characters that I want to do right by them – and be true to their nature, as I imagined and created it!
The worst part about being an author is putting so much time into a story, only to find that there are still parts, after five or six times reading it, that could be better. But, that is part of the creative process too, constantly being on the lookout for ways to improve or change.
5. What are you working on now?
I had such an amazing experience writing On the Eighteenth of May, that, yes, indeed, I have started on my next novel, which will most likely remain titled as The Broken Bridge. It, too, will be set in the Blue Ridge mountain area of North Carolina and will focus on a displaced child, her life and upbringing as she grows up, and her journey as she lives in wealth and luxury, surrounded by loathing and bitterness.
I thank you for featuring On the Eighteenth of May on your blog and I hope you and your readers will enjoy the journey! I look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback!
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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/
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Jordan R. Samuel will be awarding a $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
