A Dream Within A Dream: Finding Me Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

Finding Me

Author: Kelly Gunderman

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Release Date: July 30, 2019

Publisher: Swoon Romance

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Synopsis:

Can you ever truly love someone who robbed you of everything?

Sixteen-year-old Claire Williams spends most of her days feeling angry and alone. After a car accident took her mother and Claire’s ability to walk, life in a wheelchair is the new normal.

When she’s sent to live with her grandmother, away from school and friends, Claire has a chance for a fresh start. Just when Claire thinks she can handle things, she runs into Todd - the son of the man who caused the car accident.

At first, Claire wants nothing to do with him, but the more time they spend together, the more she hates to admit her feelings. She’s slowly falling in love with Todd.

Now, Claire’s father wants to move and take Claire with him. But she can’t go. Not now when everything is falling into place, and she’s just now finding herself. Claire’s defiant. She won’t leave Greenwood, her new friends, her grandmother, or Todd.

Can Claire find the strength to let her dad go on with his life while leaving her behind to live hers, or will she allow the guilt and shame of surviving the accident pull her back under?

Claire’s Letter to her Mother

When I was writing Finding Me, I thought about including an epilogue in the form of Claire writing a letter to her mother. The purpose of the letter was going to be for Claire to talk to her mom about the things that were going on in her life, the changes that she’s made, and the fact that she was able to search within her heart to forgive others who hurt her, as her mother would have wanted her to. I didn’t actually end up including this letter in the book, but I did write it, so I thought I would share it with you.

Dear Mom,

It’s been over two years since the accident; two years since you left me. At first, I was feeling bitter toward everyone, including you. I felt like you abandoned me. Everything changed for me, and I needed you more than ever. But you were gone, and I was alone. While it hurt a lot when dad started being away all the time, I felt so numb that it barely even registered to me.

Mom, I miss you. So much has changed. I’ve changed. I’m not the same girl I used to be, back before the accident. I don’t live in the same place. I don’t have the same friends. I don’t even go to the same school. Everything is different.

Grandma told me that writing a letter to you would help me sort through my grief. I told her there’s no way that could accomplish anything, but she has been right about things before, so I try to listen to her.

I started dating Todd. You never got to meet Todd, of course, but I did on my first day of school in Greenwood. At first, I couldn’t believe it. I had never come face to face with him or his dad. I didn’t know how to act, so I had a panic attack and got out of the school as quickly as I could. That’s when I met Lisa. Lisa was there for me through every dip on the emotional rollercoaster that had become my life.

But you know what? I took Grandma’s advice. I spent time with Todd. And mom, I fell in love with him. He’s perfect for me, and I can’t imagine life without him now. He’s been there for me through everything. And he’s learning how to forgive, too. He’s trying to forgive his dad – he’s even gone to the prison to see him. But it’s hard for him, too. And his mom. Their family suffered, too. I guess I was too selfish to realize it at the time, but now that I do, I feel for him.

I live with dad and his new wife. They’re having a daughter – she is due in about a month. She’s nicer than I thought, but I’ll never forgive dad for moving on so fast. I mean, I’m trying, but it’s hard. Grandma lives with us, too. I refused to move without her.

I wish I could go back in time and have a few more minutes with you, mom. There is so much I would love to tell you, so much I think you would want to know. I wish I could hear you laugh again. I wish we could go to Starbucks for coffee before school, just one more time.

I’ll never forget you, mom. You will always be my first friend, my best friend. You will always crop up in my thoughts, every hour of the day. Grandma tells me stories about you all the time and she talks about how important it is to keep your memory alive. I’ll definitely keep telling those stories, so you can live forever – even if it’s only in my heart.

I love you.

Love,
Claire

Kelly Gunderman

Kelly Gunderman was born a child of the late eighties in small-town Pennsylvania. A bibliophile in her own right, she is hoping to one day surpass the number of pages she has turned with those she has written of her own accord.

Having recently completed her Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Development, Kelly suddenly found herself with a bit more free time than usual, and began her immediately successful foray into blogging and Freelance Writing, which subsequently led to her renewed desire to finally put her ideas and imaginings “on paper.”

Focusing primarily on the Young Adult genre, Kelly has recently finished and her first novel, Finding Me, which is set to be published in early 2019 by Swoon Romance.

She currently resides in her original home town with her husband, their two daughters, and a few cats that constantly challenge the sanity of all with their ill-advised attempts at what can only be assumed to be world domination.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.kellygunderman.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kagunderman

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/kellygunderman

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kagunderman

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kagunderman