Linda
Barrett could be any one of us. She’s an ordinary woman living a
wonderfully ordinary life – husband, kids, teaching, writing – totally
unprepared for Murphy’s Law on steroids. In February 2001, everything
goes wrong. She discovers her breast cancer exactly when she starts a
brand new teaching job which is exactly the same time as the release of
her very first published novel. Secrets must be kept to protect her
fledging career as a writer. No secrets in the classroom however. Her
adult students, preparing for the GED exam, out her in five minutes when
they spot her wig!
Nine
years later, Linda is fully recovered from her lumpectomy, chemo and
radiation when breast cancer hits a second time. She is no longer a
random one-in-eight woman who develops this disease. Blood tests show
she’s a target of faulty genes, a carrier of the BRCA 1 gene mutation.
Without drastic measures, she’d be susceptible to a third or fourth
cancer hit. Murphy’s Law once again comes into play. This second time
around coincides with a thousand mile relocation from Houston to Tampa.
Putting a house on the market while handling a double mastectomy,
implant prep, and six rounds of chemo is not for the faint of heart.
Linda’s heart is not faint as she implores: “Do house hunters think
we’re part of HGTV? Real homes aren’t perfect!”
At
the heart of this memoir, however, is a love story. Cancer is merely
the vehicle that exposes a mature marriage in full bloom. With her
Knight-in-Shining-Tinfoil at her side, Linda and Michael Barrett meet
the challenge of two enemies: cancer and fear. Their fight is hard won,
but with cancer now in their rearview mirror, they are relaxed and
laughing again. As Linda says, “Life is good. After all the turmoil,
we’ve landed in a soft place. Friends and family are all around, and I
expect to live out a natural lifespan however long that may be.”
Everyone deserves a Hopfully Ever After, and that’s what you’ll find here.
Click HERE to read an excerpt!
Linda
Barrett is the author of 13 novels of contemporary romance. She’s
earned many industry awards through Romance Writers of America,
including the Holt Medallion, The Award of Excellence and the Write
Touch Reader’s award. Family Interrupted is her first women’s fiction
story. A graduate of Hunter College, Linda now lives in the Tampa area
with her husband. They have three grown sons and the most adorable,
intelligent, super-duper grandchildren ever!
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