The Story That Made Us Stronger

The Story That Made Us Stronger

by Iris March

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GENRE: Women’s Fiction/ Cancer journey

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BLURB:

An abandoned building. A motivated runner. A Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cancer survivor.Connor Jackson has been training for a half marathon for the past six weeks. Katie Brandt has been training to beat cancer for the past 50. When Connor discovers an intriguing secret in a tiny, abandoned building on his running route, Katie finds that the mystery is what she needs to help her get through her three-week stem cell replacement procedure. Together, Conner and Katie must find the strength to achieve their personal goals and, in the meantime, expose the many past lives that the tiny building led.

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Excerpt:

The Golf Course Manager

Katie Brandt

After Connor left for the day, I was amped up as I always was after chemo. My body was worn out and aching, but my mind wouldn’t stop. I tried to take a nap but couldn’t find sleep, even with the blinds closed and all the lights off. I just kept thinking about my kids, having conversations with them in my head about why I was away from them. I was doing this stem cell replacement ordeal for them: so that their mommy wouldn’t get leukemia later in their lives. I’d promised that I’d never leave them.

No matter the time of day, I usually had a hard time getting to sleep in this bed, in this hospital room. I dragged myself across the room and found my computer. After I settled back into bed, I searched Google Maps and found the area that Connor had pointed out before. His excitement was contagious, and now I wanted to know more about that building too. I saw the golf course and some of the trail through the trees on the satellite images. Once I clicked on the road view, I could see the building itself that Connor was talking about. It really looked old despite the grainy picture, yet somehow familiar. I wondered if I had driven past it before. I looked up the golf course and poked around their website and then the Park District’s website.

“Someone has to know something!” I said to myself. There was a list of historical buildings that the Park District managed, but nothing about one being on or near that golf course. After twenty minutes of not finding anything to give me a single answer, I decided to just call the Park District itself. Why not? It was still only 3:45; they’d be open. I dialed the Administration Office downtown first.

“Hello, Park District Administration Office. This is Tammy. How can I help you?” Her spiel sounded very rehearsed and overly chipper.

“Hi, Tammy. My name is Katie. I’m a resident of Hawthorn Heights and was wondering if you guys can tell me more about an interesting building that sits along a trail I frequent. I have a bet with my friend about who can find out info about it fastest.” I could really turn on the charm when I needed to, even when I didn’t feel well. Call it a gift. When you used a person’s name and told them they were doing you a favor, they wanted to help most of the time. I was also good at seeing everyone as a person, not just someone in my way. I knew everyone had their own thing going on and tried to respect that.

“What an interesting request, Katie!” Tammy exclaimed. She was really excited about this, too, and we were both name users. I hoped she didn’t see through my charm. “Let me see if I can find it on our maps.”

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About the author:

I’m delighted to be a guest on the Independent Authors Blog. Thank you so much for having me! 

My book, The Story That Made Us Stronger, just came out a couple of weeks ago. It’s a fictionalized version of my sister’s experience with Hodgkin’s lymphoma while pregnant with twins. The story is told through her nurse, who is both training for a half marathon and uncovering the mysteries of an abandoned building on his running route. My sister’s character helps him make discoveries from her hospital bed. This novel is the one that got me writing books in the first place. It helped me deal with the anxiety I was having about my sister’s illness. 

When I finished writing my sister’s story, I found another book idea rolling around in my head during my own runs that turned into more than one book. And so I started the cozy mystery Succulent Sleuth Series with The Broken Bridge which came out in May. It’s set at a garden center with a hiking trail running behind it. When a hiker goes missing, the garden center manager finds more clues than the police.

Now I’m working on the second installment of The Succulent Sleuth Series, which will be a short story called The Library Attic Attack. It starts with a plant swap event at the local library with the same garden center manager, her husband, and her BFF on the case of possible poisoning (by plants). It will be part of a cozy mystery anthology with 29 other cozy mystery authors and their own stories in A Bookworm of a Suspect. Proceeds from the book will benefit The Free Book Bus, which gives away books to kids in Virginia. The collection will come out in April.

I do have plans for another full length novel in the series next, but the story isn’t clear in my head yet. I think it will be set in the fall and involve a straw bale maze at the local park.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Iris March grew up the oldest of three sisters whose names all began with the same letter. Her sisters are still her best friends. March works in the sustainability field and also writes cozy mysteries in the Succulent Sleuth Series. She lives in Ohio with her husband, young son, and three cats.

Author website https://irismarchbooks.com/

Insta https://www.instagram.com/searchingformysteries/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076150266393

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22404252.Iris_March

Amazon (will be in KU): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B9PQWVN5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

Physical book will also be on Barnes and Noble

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Iris March will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter to win a $25 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway