A Word Please

Today I’m continuing on with my Secrets and Confessions theme, inspired by my upcoming novel Secrets. Plus, I’m offering one print and two ebooks to three lucky readers! Read on for details.

Many of you know I have late-state Lyme disease. I contracted the disease sometime in early childhood, though it wasn’t properly diagnosed until about four years ago. The brunt of my symptoms are neurological, with memory loss being a big issue. This can, at times, be embarrassing. For instance…

When I was in my mid-thirties, I was out at a club with some friends. A guy about my age tentatively approached and called me by name. I turned to him. Good looking guy. About my age. Tall and lean. Abstract recognition tickled my memory, but I couldn’t place him.

He introduced himself as John. (He also told me his last name, though I couldn’t pull it out of my memory now if my life depended on it.) The name sparked something. He prodded further, told me we’d dated. “Oh, right!” I said. I should have stopped there.

I drew on the only John I remembered dating. When I was fifteen, I spent the summer “down the Cape”. (The way we in Massachusetts refer to Cape Cod.) John had also spent the summer there, and we’d had a relationship of sorts. Our ‘dating’ consisted of hanging out on the beach together, and walking to the strip of shops. So, with that in mind, I said something to the effect of, “We met down The Cape.”

John gave me an odd look, told me that, no, we hadn’t. Apparently, we’d dated a few years later. I don’t honestly know when. Back where I lived, not down The Cape. I had no memory of meeting him or dating him. Nothing sparked. I knew I should remember. I had that vague itch in my mind I’d come to associate with lost time in my life. But I was blank.

He continued, giving me the “You remember…” hints. I didn’t. Not at all. I couldn’t reciprocate. I had nothing to offer. Eventually, he walked away. He probably thought I’d become a drug addict. Or an alcoholic. Or moths had eaten my brain. (This latter reasoning is closest to the truth of it.)

I never did regain that memory. Not even a trace. As with other events in my life, it’s as if the Lyme bacteria destroyed the piece of my brain where this memory was stored. I don’t know when the memory left me. I just know it will never return. So, John, if by chance you’re reading this, I swear my lack of recognition had nothing to do with you.

Now that I’ve shared my secret and confessed to the holes in my brain, let’s move on to the giveaway!

Let’s go with winner’s choice, because I want everyone to get what they want. I’m offering one signed, print book and two ebooks of any of my eight titles. First prize will be the print book, and two more winners will receive ebooks. The giveaway is international, open to everyone 16 and older. Enter between Monday, July 9 and Sunday, July 22 at midnight EST. You have multiple chances to win. And Rafflecopter makes it easy!

I’ll notify the winner via email, at which time I’ll ask for your choice of titles. Please keep an eye on your spam folder.

That’s it. Good luck!

Thanks for reading.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tags: Blog Contest, Blog Giveaway, book giveaway, eBook Giveaway, lyme disease, Lyme Disease Symptoms, Personal Stories of Lyme Disease, Rafflecopter Contest, Rafflecopter giveaway, Secrets and Confessions, Secrets Revealed