Written Musings

The story behind writing BLINDSIGHT...

4/10/2023

Sometimes I hear about something that really grabs my creative attention. In the case of Blindsight, it was hysterical blindness, or blindsight. It’s a fascinating psychological condition wherein the person can’t see, even though there’s nothing wrong with their eyes. It can be triggered by trauma and, instantly, my mind went to work thinking about what kind of trauma would cause this for the heroine when she was young

After I came up with that (and it’s a doozie), I knew I had to put her in the worst possible position to push her to be more courageous than she thought she could be. You see, Olivia Howe was kidnapped as a child. I didn’t want to write about a molester, so the kidnapper’s reasons had to do with a mad ceremony he thinks he has to do to tamp down his rage when it rears up.

Olivia escaped, but lost her sight through the trauma. Now, suddenly, she’s connected to another little girl who is snatched from the very store Olivia is in. And you can imagine how her story is received when she goes to the detective on the case and tries to explain how she knows what she knows about the missing child, Phaedra.

While Detective Max Callahan is skeptical, he’s also mysteriously drawn to her…so sticking close seems like a good idea. And that's when things get really hairy. But dear romantic suspense readers, you know that an HEA is guaranteed, so don’t worry—no children are murdered in this book.

I found some really interesting reads as I dove into blind-sightedness. One was The Phantoms in the Brain by neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran, and the other was The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks. I highly recommend these books for fascinating stories about how the brain can misfire and, well, pretty much go whack-a-doodle sometimes.

My story also has some special connections for me. One is the name Phaedra, the girl who gets kidnapped in my story and is psychically connected to my heroine, Olivia. One of my childhood friends was named Phaedra, and I’ve never since heard of anyone with that name. Although we lost touch decades ago, her name stuck in my head, ready to pop out when I needed a name for the girl.

The second is Stasia, Olivia’s service dog. I have long admired and been mystified by the relationship between a service dog and its person. The dedication and love between them know no bounds. Stasia is also based on a real-life being. I met a lovely lady named Denise at the RT Booklovers Convention, and my mom and I and her immediately hit it off.

She had a seizure disorder, so her Australian shepherd was trained to alert her when one was coming. Watching Denise and Stasia interact and her dog’s diligence was so touching. That’s why it was such a delight to write a story with a blind woman and her guide dog. When this book came out originally, Denise and Stasia came to one of my book signings. We bought some food-grade “ink” and had Stasia sign the books with me. It was so adorable! Although Denise has passed on, I’ll always remember her sweet smile, and her cute pup.

I’m excited that Blindsight was chosen for a special $0.99 promotion so you can give it a try—or GIFT it to a friend if you've already read it.

Until next time, Happy Reading!

Tina

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A young girl is missing, and her only hope is a blind woman who can see through her eyes... READ MORE

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