We’re so pleased to have author Sarah Hadley Brook stopping by today on the tour for her new novel, A Love to Remember, from JMS Books. She’s here to chat about her inspiration for the book as well as share a short excerpt, and there’s also a giveaway so be sure to check out the Rafflecopter widget for those details too.

Welcome, Sarah!

The Inspiration for My Story

To be perfectly honest, A Love to Remember is incredibly personal to me. While this story is a love story, it also touches on Alzheimer’s and the thoughts that can plague someone when the disease affects your family. Like Graham’s father in the book, my father had early-onset Alzheimer’s and symptoms began to appear as early as his late forties.

My grandmother, as well as several of her siblings, also had Alzheimer’s, so it’s always been on my mind. I actually made the decision not to date for the very same reason Graham refuses to date—the fear of ending up with the disease and being left alone was worse than the fear of being alone by choice. 

Thankfully, I came to my senses and no longer allow myself to be driven by that fear, but I admit to the occasional worry about it.

Writing this story was cathartic in many ways. My father was not a nice man—angry, alcoholic, abusive, extremely religious, and incredibly hateful. He was also a brilliant aerospace engineer and could charm anyone. I grew up each day wondering which of those men would make an appearance. When he passed away, I tried to remember a time when I’d been happy with him and memories of our visits to the lake house flooded my mind. House is probably a stretch—it was a cabin that he and his brothers had built years ago. There was running water, but it was directly from the lake, so kind of primitive. It was upgraded in later years, thank goodness.

Deciding to center this story around the lake was a trip through time for me. I could picture it in my mind like it was yesterday and what surprised me was how different my father was when we were staying out there. There was a sense of family and closeness that we didn’t see in day-to-day life.

So I took those good feelings and created the relationship between Graham and his father based on what I’d always hoped my father and I would have had and in doing so, I was able to lay some of my sadness aside.

The lake in the story has a fictional name and the real cabin is long gone—sold after he passed away—but the memories of those happy times are real.

In fact, I enjoyed writing A Love to Remember so much, I’ve already written the sequel!

The Excerpt

Graham looked out at the water and they sat together, three men on the dock, relaxing to the lull of the waves, the warmth of the sun, and the simple act of enjoying a summer day on the lake. He considered pulling out his phone to take a picture, but he couldn’t. Something about it felt wrong. Like he’d be intruding on a memory. Or maybe he didn’t want to interrupt the peace of the moment.

Finally, Sam stood and reached for Graham’s dad. “We need to get you inside before you start getting red, Mr. Hayes.”

“Thurston,” he insisted.

“Right. Thurston. That’s an interesting name. I don’t think I’ve heard it before.”

“Haven’t you ever watched Gilligan’s Island?” Graham asked, surprised.

Sam burst out laughing. “Oh, God, that’s right! Thurston Howell III!”

His dad playfully rolled his eyes, then retrieved his shoes and socks. “Don’t remind me. This one, and his sister, tortured me for years calling me that. They thought they were hilarious.”

Graham grinned, a warm feeling filling his chest. “We were, Dad.”

The elder man chuckled and shook his head before turning his attention to Sam. “But actually, my mother decided to name all of her children after relatives from the 1800s.” He frowned and shrugged. “Don’t ask me why.”

“So who were you named after?” Sam asked as he steered him back onto land.

“Nobody,” he said. “She read the genealogy book wrong—actually it was an old family Bible with a detailed family tree that went back almost two hundred years. The name was supposed to be Thurman, not Thurston, but by the time she realized it, the name was already on the birth certificate and I was stuck with it.”

“Oh, wow,” Sam said.

“At least it’s unique. Of course, my older brother was given a much more common name—Robert.” He turned to Graham, his eyes lighting up. “Hey, I haven’t seen him in a while. Why don’t we invite Robert and Elaine over for dinner?”

Graham’s heart dropped. His dad had been doing so well. How was he going to remind him that Robert had died?

Sam took one look at Graham and easily changed the subject. “So, Thurston, what do you want for lunch?”

“Grilled cheese sounds good to me,” his dad answered, the question about his brother dropped and forgotten.

About the Book

Universal Buy Link

Length: 27,000 words approx.

Publisher: JMS Books

Blurb: Graham Hayes decided long ago he’d never be in a relationship. It was better to stay single than to fall in love only to be left alone, which he was certain would happen to him. He’d seen Alzheimer’s ravage his family members all his life, leaving their loved ones to deal with the fallout. Some of them stayed, but some didn’t. Graham isn’t going to risk it.

When he hires nurse Sam Morgan to take care of his dad during the day, his pledge to stay single is put to the test. He soon finds it difficult to maintain a professional distance.

Graham’s guarded his heart for so long, but his resolve is crumbling. Will he be able to conquer his fear to give himself a chance at love? Can he trust Sam to stick around for better or worse?

About the Author

Sarah Hadley Brook lives smack-dab in the middle of the Heartland and is the mother of two wonderful young men, as well as two cats. During the day, she works in the nonprofit world, but reserves evenings for her hobby-turned-passion of writing, letting the characters she conjures in her mind take the lead and show her where the story will go. When not working or writing, she can be found reading, working on dollhouses, trying her hand at new recipes, or watching old movies and musicals. In her ideal world, Christmas would come at least twice a year, Rock Hudson and Doris Day would have costarred in more than three movies, and chocolate would be a daily necessity. She dreams of traveling to Scotland some day and visiting the places her ancestors lived. Sarah believes in “Happily Ever After” and strives to ensure her characters find their own happiness in love and life.

Website || Facebook || Pinterest || Twitter

The Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Follow the Tour

April 28 – Lost In Love, MM Midnight Cafe, Xtreme Delusions, BooksLaidBareBoys, Gay Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook, Gay Media Reviews

April 30 – The Novel Approach, Mikku-chan, Archaeolibrarian, Hearts On Fire, Nerdy Dirty & Flirty

May 1 – Gay Book Reviews

May 2 – Book Lovers 4Ever, BFD Book Blog

May 3 – Diverse Reader

May 4 – Slave To The Written Word, Making It Happen, Slashessed

May 7 – MM Good Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

May 8 – Love Bytes

May 9 – A Book Lovers Dream, Valerie Ullmer, Drops Of Ink, Sarandipity, Mirrigold, Padme’s Library, Jim’s Reading Room, Bayou Book Junkie, Bookaholic & Kindle, Virginia Lee