‘Passing Through’ by @Jay_Northcote BlogTour #GuestPost #Giveaway

Is having a terminally ill character harder to write, knowing the outcome?

Definitely, but it was even harder than I’d anticipated. I always knew this book would be a tough one to write, because I was drawing on personal experience when I wrote it. It was part of my way of dealing with my father’s terminal diagnosis.

But when I started planning the story, Edwin was a stranger, so I thought I could handle it. However, as I wrote, Edwin inevitably took on a life of his own. I adored him. He’s one of my all-time favourite characters and when it came to the end for him I was a mess! I needed a lot of tissues to get through that scene, and a few that followed it.

At the same time, I found writing Passing Through a deeply cathartic experience because the story allowed me to find some peace and positivity within the sadness of bereavement. Even after Edwin’s life is over, he still has a positive effect on those who are living.

He couldn’t believe that death was final. It might be the end of that person’s chapter, but people left an impression that remained long after they were gone. Ripples that spread and touched those still living.

This is my version of an afterlife. Loved ones may be gone but they are never forgotten. They live on through us, and in the choices we make because of the things they taught us.

Don’t waste a chance at happiness…

Leo is a lonely workaholic with no time for romance in his life. His job in London takes all his energy and commitment. When he goes to Cornwall to stay with his terminally ill uncle, Edwin, love is the last thing Leo expects to find.

Tris lives in a cottage on Edwin’s land. Gay, but still half in the closet, he and Leo bond over their affection for Edwin, and the pull of attraction between them proves too strong to ignore. In Tris’s arms, in the wilds of Cornwall, Leo finds a peace he’d forgotten existed.

On his return to London, Leo finds himself grieving for more than just the loss of his uncle. When some unexpected news gives Leo the chance to return to Cornwall, he’s afraid it will be too late to rekindle things with Tris. But having learned much from his stay with his uncle, Leo doesn’t want to look back and wish he’d done things differently.

It’s time to seize the day—if it’s not already too late.

Excerpt:

On the beach they crunched along the shingle to the edge of the rocks, then turned to look out over the sea. It was almost completely dark now, and the moon was rising, casting streaks of bright silver on the oil-black water.

They stood in silence, watching and listening to the crash of the waves. Leo’s heart felt suddenly too large for his chest. He was overwhelmed by the beauty of the place, a place that had barely changed since his childhood. The sea came and went with the tides, the sands shifted, but the rocks were constant. Yet here Leo was, an adult now rather than a boy, and his uncle reduced to an echo of the man Leo remembered—physically, at least. Unexpected tears prickled the backs of Leo’s eyes as a rush of emotion so strong that it made him draw in a sharp breath assaulted him. He swallowed hard, forcing the feelings back down.

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Tris turn towards him, but Leo carried on gazing out at the gentle, rolling movement of the sea. Tris shifted his feet in the sand, bringing him closer. The warm skin of his arm brushed Leo’s, and Leo ached for more contact. He needed human warmth and touch to chase away the cold emptiness in his heart.

Buy Links

Amazon ♥ AllRomance ♥ Smashwords

Read Dawn’s review of ‘Passing Through’ here.

Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats.

She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story–just to see if she could–and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t stopped writing since.

www.jaynorthcote.com ♥ Twitter ♥ Facebook profile ♥ Facebook Author Page ♥ Jay’s books

Jay is offering a backlist title for one lucky winner. Just comment below with your favorite Jay book.

You need to be 18 years or older to enter the Giveaway. Void where prohibited. Etc.

The Contest ends on March 6th, 11:59 PM CDT. Good Luck