My senior year in high school, in the month of February, I caught a wicked case of strep throat. Or so I thought. I kept going to the doctor, they kept swabbing my throat, the tests kept coming back negative. But I kept running a low-grade fever, and my throat swelled up.
I lost fifteen pounds. Which was a boon for Prom just two months later, but that’s not the point of this story. So…
It was the eighties. I was pretty independent at the time, and since it was my senior year, I’d already completed most of my credits for graduation. I spent a lot of time at the coffee shop, ignoring my symptoms.
Mostly because I didn’t want anyone too look too closely and jeopardize…
State Hockey Tourneys.
See, I love hockey (to be clear, not as much as I love football, but I’m a Minnesota girl. It’s in our genetic makeup.) I also attended a high school where we fielded a championship team every year. And this year, we were in the state finals.
I was NOT missing the state championship weekend.
Except…the throat thing got worse, and finally, I went back to the doctor, this time go a different doctor and whalla, she discovered that I had two gigantic abscessed tonsils. I needed immediate surgery.
The weekend before tourneys.
I checked myself into the hospital (I did mention I was pretty independent), scheduled surgery (again, to be clear, my parents did come to the hospital. I wasn’t abandoned) and the next morning, got those abscessed tonsils removed. Bam. Just in time for the tourneys.
Now, I want to say that the next part happened against the advice of my parents. But yes, all drugged up on pain meds and still nursing a couple holes in my throat, I went to tourneys.
Shouted my brains out. And apparently nicked off the scabs on my throat too.
That night, I ended up in the ER. Nearly had a transfusion. And was ridiculously furious the next day when my parents took away my car keys and said no more hockey tourneys.
So unfair.
BUT, I tell you all this to emphasize my love for hockey. And why, over my writing career, I’ve written a number of hockey books and stories about hockey players. It Had to Be You, When I Fall in Love, You’re the One that I Want, Wyatt and my latest release…Conrad. It helps that they all play for the same team (the Minnesota Blue Ox which, by the way, is a real team that started AFTER I wrote my first two books with this fictional team. Just sayin’…)
So, Conrad. He plays center for the Blue Ox. He’s quiet, tough and doesn’t know it, but has entered into a fake dating relationship with on Penelope Pepper, rich girl, podcaster and the one woman who can stand up to him.
Conrad releases today in the Susan May Warren store at the launch price of $4.99. Or preorder it at your favorite retailer. It lands in Amazon on March 7th. Just in time, by the way, for hockey tourneys. 
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About the book:
I hope you enjoy it as much I loved writing it.
Have a beautiful weekend!
XO!
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P.S. Unbelievably, JACK is STILL sitting at $4.99 at Amazon. The price is officially $9.99. I don’t know what to say about this. Just…lettin’ you know.
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