I almost quit.
I've told this story in depth a hundred times, so I’ll get to the point: I almost quit writing. After I wrote The Perception in 2015, I was done. I was overwhelmed, struggling with imposter syndrome, and dealing with the loss of my (then) best friend. I just had nothing inside me that felt creative. I had nothing to offer anyone.
My husband caught me in the kitchen one day in the middle of a spiral. "I'm not good enough for this. I just can't do it anymore." The man who never asks me for anything, really, asked me for one thing: "Write that fighter book you've been talking about. Then, if you still want to quit, quit. But please write that one. Just one more."
Just one more sounded doable. I mean, if I humored him and wrote just one more, he couldn’t really say much if I quit then, could he?
So, I sat down and wrote just one more.
Sacrifice came to me at my oldest son's very first middle school wrestling meet. I was nervous to start with, but I wasn’t prepared for tragedy to actually strike. As I watched a boy be taken off the mat on a stretcher (he was fine, please don't panic), my mind started ... panicking, really, but also thinking—"what if?".
That was the day Crew Gentry stiff-armed his way into my mind and, ultimately, my heart. He's so real to me that I actually forget sometimes that I made him up. I can hear his voice. I know the sound of his laugh, the scent of his cologne. His five o'clock stubble is prickly and when he gets tired, his voice drops, growing gravelly. If you don't know him, you might think he's a jerk but, in reality, he's just very protective—of the people he loves … and of his heart.
His heart was broken once. It’s never been healed.
This book isn't like my others. It and Written in the Scars prove to be the two books in my backlist that might (read: will probably) make you cry. They're heavy and emotional, full of angst and twists. Of course, I give you happy endings (I am me, of course), but the endings might be more ... real. That might be good or bad, I don't know. But the endings are the only way those stories could be wrapped up and I think my readers, although they might message me with various forms and mixtures of heartbreak and hope, agree.
Sacrifice just celebrated its 7-year anniversary this past autumn. I had it re-edited—spruced up a little to account for my new (and, hopefully, better) writing style. (Don't worry—we kept all of the magic of the story!) My cover designer, Kari March, and I sat down and came up with a new, beautiful cover that feels fresh and true. I also rewrote the blurb and had the book narrated again.
And that's why I'm in your inbox today.
Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell did a phenomenal job as Crew and Julia. Truth be told, I don't think I could imagine a better audiobook than the one they produced.
It. Is. Sensational.
I wrote the story and their emotional, perfectly-heartfelt acting made me tear up. It's that good. I’m honored to have them agree to bring my story to life.
If you enjoy audiobooks, please try this one. If you don't love audiobook (no worries, I don't either, typically), then you might like the ebook, paperback, or hardback. It's also free on Kindle Unlimited.
I'm off to watch one of my sons wrestle today. That feels like kismet, in a way. ❤️
I hope you have a terrific day.
Happy reading (and listening),
Addy
Synopsis:
After losing her husband in a tragic accident, Julia Gentry is barely surviving. Raising her young daughter alone takes everything she has—and that’s not enough. She’s barely making ends meet.
And then tragedy strikes again.
Julia’s only hope lies in the last place she wants to look—in Crew Gentry. Her husband’s brother is broody. Irresponsible. He’s broken her heart more than once and let her down every time she’s needed him.
Until now.
Crew steps up, spotting an opportunity to atone for his sins. He’s determined to fix the disaster wrecking their lives. But the only way to make things right might require him to put more than his heart on the line.
He might have to sacrifice it all.