Title: Hard to Let Go
Author: Jaclyn Quinn
Series: Haven's Cove
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: February 19, 2018
Interior Design and Formatting: Flawless Touch Formatting
Summary:Owen Richards lives a quiet life in his small hometown of Haven’s Cove. He has a rewarding life consisting of three very supportive—not to mention feisty—women, and a successful bakery that he owns and absolutely loves. Yet, Owen can't seem to shake this emptiness inside or the intense feeling that something is missing. A sudden encounter with a man from his past, one he despises, turns his entire world upside down. When Owen finds himself attracted to that sexy man, he questions everything, including his sanity. After all, only an incredibly disturbed person would find that he can’t stop thinking about his high school bully.
Brody Walker never expected to return to Haven’s Cove. He’s made a life for himself in Boston where he can truly be the person he was always meant to be. But an unexpected call has Brody facing all the demons he’d left behind so long ago. Now, he’s faced with not only a difficult goodbye, but one long overdue apology to a man who is no longer that lanky kid from high school. The challenge is to convince the guy he’s changed—and also prove he’s worth taking a chance on.
When passions ignite, truths are exposed, changing beliefs these men have held on to for years. Faced with the knowledge that things aren’t always what they seem, will they choose to hold on to the incredible thing they’ve found…or is it easier to give in to the fear and let go?
Brody nodded his head and let his aunt Nora lead him down the hall. Had this hallway always been so damn long? The walls were lined with pictures. There were Brody’s school pictures, holidays, and family photos of the three of them smiling.
It was a hall full of lies.
As he crossed the threshold into the room, it was like breaking through a thick wall. His chest hurt and every muscle in his body tensed. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t this. A hospital bed was against the soft blue wall to his right; an IV stand with a bag hanging from a hook at the top blocked his view of his mother’s face. The room had the same beige carpet he remembered, but his father’s desk was replaced with a big reclining chair. There was another chair in the room on the far side of the bed. A small table on wheels sat next to it and on it were tissues, a pair of glasses, and the last thing he expected to see—a framed picture of him from when he was little. Next to that was an oxygen tank with tubing connected to it. The tubing led up to where it hooked around her ears to hold the small prongs in place in her nose. There were no big machines, no sounds of incessant beeping.
Then it really hit him. She wasn’t there to get better; she was there to let go. Brody stepped softly into the room, afraid to disturb her, afraid to breathe too heavily and throw off the serenity of her room.
Brody’s heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest. He felt a light touch from his aunt on his back, as if she was telling him it was going to be okay—even though they both knew it wouldn’t be. He walked to the side of the bed cautiously, praying he didn’t upset her if she didn’t want him there. As he lowered himself into the chair, his breath caught, and he looked into his mom’s eyes for the first time in too long. Oh God, was that panic in her eyes? Pain? He didn’t want to cause her either in her final days.
“Brody? Honey, is it really you?” Her voice was so soft, but there was no mistaking the words as a tear slid down her cheek, and her eyes had a sudden light.
Just like that, Brody released the breath he’d been holding and let the tears fall down his face. “Yeah, Mom. It’s me. I’m here.”
It was a hall full of lies.
Then it really hit him. She wasn’t there to get better; she was there to let go. Brody stepped softly into the room, afraid to disturb her, afraid to breathe too heavily and throw off the serenity of her room.
“Brody? Honey, is it really you?” Her voice was so soft, but there was no mistaking the words as a tear slid down her cheek, and her eyes had a sudden light.
Just like that, Brody released the breath he’d been holding and let the tears fall down his face. “Yeah, Mom. It’s me. I’m here.”
What is the biggest influence/interest that brought you to this genre?
Several years back, I was reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward. When she started to build up the storyline for Qhuinn and Blay, I found myself wanting their HEA more than any other couple in the series. I’d never read M/M before, but I was absolutely drawn in.
When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process(outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
I love creating characters. You get to be someone different; get inside their head. I love giving them little quirks or habits. Picking out the names is fun too. Once I start creating a character in my mind, I know what names will work and what names won’t.
When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
Definitely M/M. There are so many amazing M/M authors out there, and I read anything from paranormal to contemporary.
If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
I don’t know if anyone would like my writing style as a co-author, simply because I can’t just sit down and write every day. Sometimes it can take an hour or sometimes it can take a few days for the story to come to me. Ha ha I think if I were to choose, though, it would be Annabella Michaels. I love her books and style of writing, but she also happens to a good friend that I can completely be myself with. I’m an incredibly shy person, so that’s a must for me.
Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life"?
Definitely later in life. I’ve always written poetry or in journals, but I never would’ve imagined that I would write a book. Now, I have written a few novellas and four novels. The first idea didn’t even come to me until six years ago. That was a novella called Release Me. It was this idea, out of nowhere, and I just knew I had to get it out. Even if no one ever saw it. By the time I was done, I was completely blown away that I had accomplished something like that, and surprised by how much I loved doing it. When I wrote Hard to Let Go four years ago, I never imagined I would publish it, but here we are!
I have been an artist from a very young age. From drawing cartoon characters and evolving into portraits, making jewelry, photography, and now writing. I have an amazing support system in my family and friends and couldn’t be more grateful.
I live in central New Jersey, love summers at the Jersey Shore, rock music, wine, sexy men, and laughing a lot with my amazing friends and family. Sunday dinners at my parents’ house are crazy, hysterical and you can count on a movie quote…or ten…being thrown out. Insults between siblings is how we show our love for each other!
When I’m not creating, you can find me reading books from my favorite authors. I’m a hopeless romantic, starving for passionate characters and always craving that happy ending, whether in reading or in writing my own books.
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