The Road to Rebound by Lynette Mae

As proof of her awesomeness, Lynette decided to give away TWO copies of Rebound instead of just one! The winner’s today are Glenda and Svetla! Congratulations to both of them.

We got the coolest stuff going on around here today! My friend (Well, everybody’s friend, really. I don’t have a monopoly.) Lynette Mae dropped by to celebrate the release of her new novel, Rebound, from Sapphire Books! We’re extra special because today is the release day for Rebound! Woo!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Lynette, you should totally make it your mission to learn more about her. She’s a total class act and awesome writer. You can check her out online at her website HERE. Be her friend on facebook HERE. Follow her on Twitter HERE. And of course, buy her books HERE.

And, just to prove how very awesome she is, Lynette is giving away a copy of Rebound! Woo! Leave a comment below to get into the action. I’ll draw the winner next Friday, 2/21/14. Woo!

The Road to Rebound
by Lynette Mae

Lynette Mae hanging out and looking cool in England.

Hi gang! I’m thrilled that Jove invited me to spend some time here at Women and Words, and even more stoked to talk about my newest novel. As authors, I think we all get absorbed in our current work, sometimes to the point of near-insanity, but Rebound was different. The start of the story came to me in a rush one day, while I was still working on the finishing touches of my second novel, Tactical Pursuit. I guess my brain needed a break from the police action/shooting/suspense. Conner Maguire, the protagonist in Rebound, drove down the court and into my brain like the thoroughbred athlete that she is.

Rather than some external bad guy causing general havoc and mayhem in my character’s life, this time the focus was on much different circumstances. Conner is a pro basketball player. She’s got all the trappings of success: Big house, flashy cars, smokin’ hot girlfriend. She’s a star at the pinnacle of her career. Then fate intervenes, the unthinkable happens, and it’s all gone. That much of the story came clearly on that first day. But then, I thought about the people in my life, immediate family and close friends, who live every day with a disability. I knew that I couldn’t take this story for granted. No clichés, no overdone storylines, it had to be real because they would call me on it. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My nephew is confined to a wheelchair since an accident that happened when he was four. While writing Rebound, I realized that although I have a great relationship with my nephew, I was away for much of his life, so I didn’t fully understand what he went through on a daily basis. The same was true of one of my best friends, whom I met after her accident. Now, I wanted to know how they truly felt about the way their injuries had affected their lives. I had no idea when I began writing this story that it would bring us closer together in ways I could never have imagined. It was scary at first, asking them intensely personal questions, but the hang-ups were more of my own invention than reality. I found they didn’t mind my questions because it gave them the chance to share more of themselves than ever before. I came away with the deepest respect imaginable.

Rebound covers new ground for me as a writer, but LM fans will also recognize some familiar themes. Shawn Tyler, the wheelchair basketball coach is an injured Army vet, still grappling with her demons—some resulting from the battlefield, and others deep-seated from a life experiencing the pain of racial prejudices. These two very different women inexplicably need one another if they hope to figure out what’s important in this life. Can a game of basketball offer these two women the strength they need to reclaim their lost hope? If you believe in the power of selfless teamwork, the resilience of the human spirit, and even the magic of love, you know anything is possible. Rebound is my humble attempt to show the ways in which we are all the most alike: Our humanity.

Cole Armocida
(I totally stole the picture from her facebook page. Click on the pic and it will take you to the original.)

Oh, and one more totally cool thing about Rebound. As a writer, I love to include references to music in my work. Early in the first draft, I wrote my good buddy, Cole Armocida, into the story as Conner’s favorite indie rocker. When I sent Cole the preview, she not only loved the idea, she believed in Conner so much that she wrote an original song, aptly titled, Rebound. A preview clip will be available in the eBook version of Rebound! Now, how awesome is that? When you see the link, just click and it will take you to Cole’s musical genius. Just like that. Cole has truly captured the emotional spirit of this story.

Want to check out the song? Do that HERE!

So, that’s the entire journey of Rebound, folks. From that first day Conner charged into my consciousness, all brash and swagger, this has been an unforgettable experience for me. I hope you enjoy the story, and if it inspires you to go watch a sporting event with disabled athletes, I promise you will come away awed and inspired.