Alex Davis has just
returned to Pike's Run, Texas, from Yale with a fabulous invention that could
revolutionize the use of electricity. He can't wait to show his work to his
family and his dearest friend in the world, Julia Forrester. But from the first
day he arrives home, Julia avoids him. He doesn't understand and tries
everything he can think of to spend time with her, but he fails.
Julia Forrester has
loved Alex Davis since their school days. He was her confidante and her
champion whenever she struggled with her studies. She helped him with his
inventions, spending as many of her free hours as possible with him. She'd
thought he'd loved her, but when he went off to college without her, her heart
broke. And the infrequency of his letters proved his feelings didn't match
hers. Now that he has returned, she is determined to move on with her life. She
has written a symphony, and she won't let past hopes and dreams overtake her
again.
But Alex won't give
up, and when Julia confesses the reason for her distant attitude, the
"Genius of Pike's Run" realizes his stupidity. He is in love with
Julia and will now move Heaven and Earth to have her. But he is battling more
than her distrust. Julia has another reason to keep away from Alex, and he sets
out to fix it. Will the "genius" be able to prove his theory?
Kara O’Neal offers her thoughts on bringing The
Inventor’s Heart to life:
I’m so excited and immensely humbled that I get
to share The Inventor’s Heart with y’all. This story was truly a labor of love.
My heroine, Julia Forrester, is dyslexic. Now,
the book takes place in 1885, so they didn't call it that back then. A doctor
in Germany termed it "word blindness". I'm a special education
teacher, and Julia's story is very dear to my heart. Her feelings of uselessness,
of embarrassment, etc., are what my students battle every day. I shed tears
while writing this book, let me tell you.
As luck
would have it, sweet Julia is in love with the town genius, Alex Davis. But
when she realizes he loves her in return, she gets scared. She feels her
academic weaknesses would be a burden to him and rejects his proposal. Which
causes Alex to take on the fight of his life, proving to Julia that she is, in
fact, quite brilliant.
This was
the book I was writing when my publisher went out of business a year ago. You
can imagine the sadness I felt, as Alex and Julia's story is VERY important
to me. I wanted this one in the hands of readers so badly. But now, I didn't
know what to do...
I
wondered if I should keep writing. I agonized over it, because I wasn't sure if
I could publish a book on my own. And, quite frankly, I wasn't sure if I was
even doing the right thing. Writing takes time. As does publishing. Then
marketing. Well...that job never stops. I also had my day job to contend with,
which can be pretty demanding. And writing takes time away from my family. So,
I wondered if it was all worth it.
And then, about one month
after my publisher went out of business, something happened...My fabulous
editor sent me the following message: "I wanted to thank you. I've
struggled with reading all my life and your book got me to thinking about color
again. I discovered I can actually change the color of the page in Word. I
finally figured out a way to make editing easier for me. But it helps with my
writing, as well. I actually look forward to writing now!"
My joy
was immense, let me tell you. I mean, I have tears now reading this. Goodness!
So...her message sealed it for me. I was going to figure out how to
self-publish come Hell or high water.
Here’s an excerpt from The Inventor’s Heart:
“You don’t want to stay here
with me? Why?” Alex tried to calm his rising anger, but hurt at her obvious
want to escape him overruled his will. “You prefer to be caught under the
mistletoe and kissed by every fellow in town?”
Julia reared back. “I want no
such thing!” she declared, trying to tug her hand free of his.
He would not let go. “Could’ve
fooled me. Fitzsimmons practically had you off your feet. And Hollister is
married and lingered entirely too long when he grabbed you.”
With force, she tried to yank
free, but he was having none of it.
“It’s just a game,” she argued
with a scowl. “I didn’t plan it, and I can’t control how any of the men kiss
me.” She lifted her chin. “Besides, it’s all in good fun.”
Fun? Every embrace had torn him
inside out. “None of them should have touched you. You’re my friend.”
“What does that mean?” she asked,
her voice rising. “I belong to you?”
He almost shouted the
affirmative, but he controlled the overwhelming feeling of possession. Instead,
he kept quiet, not knowing how to explain his statement.
“You’ve been gone for five
years, and I have other friends. Am I supposed to sit on a shelf waiting for
you to come home?” She glared up at him.
Was she considering stepping out
with someone? Jealousy roared inside him. “You think another man is better for
you than me?”
“Emmet might have swept me off
my feet, but at least he paid attention to me, at least he seemed to be
interested in me, at least—”
Unable to take her compliments
of another man a second longer, he yanked her forward and slammed his lips on
hers. As desire engulfed him, he plundered her mouth, snaking an arm around her
waist and pulling her up against him.
She moaned, and the sound
spurred him on. He shoved his tongue inside, demanding she open for him,
needing to prove that he was the man
she wanted. He turned her and shoved her up against the wall, and she let out a
whimper as she ran her fingers through his hair.
A shudder went through him, and
he drank from her, never wanting to let her go. How had he not understood that
her arms were his safe place? Why hadn’t he ever realized his best friend could
set him on fire? His heart pounded hard, echoing in his ears and making him
sing with life.
Book Purchase
Link: https://books2read.com/u/3n7oqo
A Bit About Kara O’Neal:
Born and raised in
Texas, I had to make the state the setting for my first series. From the food
to the fun, like floating the rivers, it is the fire in my blood that inspires
me. My family and friends take center stage in my books. My sisters and best
friends are my heroines, and my husband created my favorite hero. Love and
family are the point of my stories, and I seek to entertain, relieve stress,
and inspire people. Books can take one on a journey that one can relive over
and over. I am extremely grateful to those authors who did that very thing for
me. I learned and I fell in love with their words and characters. From the
bottom of my heart, thank you.
Where to
Find Kara:
Website –
www.karaoneal.com
Bookbub –
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kara-o-neal
Amazon –
http://www.amazon.com/Kara-ONeal/e/B00FL19TH8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1465007993&sr=8-1
Barnes and Noble –
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/kara+o'neal?_requestid=845025
Facebook –
https://www.facebook.com/KaraONeal84/
Twitter –
https://twitter.com/KaraONealAuthor
Pinterest –
https://www.pinterest.com/karaoneal7/
Goodreads –
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7278350.Kara_O_Neal
Blog -- http://www.karaoneal.com/blog
Blog – The Story Continues -- http://www.karaoneal.com/the-story-continues
