COVER REVEAL
Inspired by award-winning,
bestselling author Juliet Braddock’s own experiences with vision loss, BLINDSIDED
reunites two
rival journalists who must decide if love really can triumph over their
tumultuous past to build a new, albeit different, life together in the face of
their greatest challenge yet.
Josie Rossi has trouble forgiving and forgetting.
Although she relinquishes sexual control, she’s daring and resilient. Born and
raised in New York City, she gets what she wants at whatever cost—everything
except for her former colleague, Oliver Billington.
Just as driven and successful as Josie in his own
right, Oliver has created a façade, exuding a valiant front that masks the
horrors he’s hiding. He
lives an edgy existence, fighting every step of the way to forget the salacious
moments of his relationship with Josie.
A chilling turn of fate sweeps these broken lovers
into a fury of angst and lust. Josie returns to his life, forcing Oliver to unveil the emotions
he’d harbored since their break-up a decade earlier.
The hands of time, however, didn’t sooth Josie’s
anger—or weaken her passion for Oliver. She can’t deny her own hunger, but her
doubts over his sincerity continue to linger.
Before they dare to consider a possible future
together, tragedy threatens to destroy every last shred of hope they shared. As
their lives change once again, Josie and Oliver must ultimately decide if trust
can salvage the remnants of their love.
BLINDSIDED will be available November 5, 2019, at Amazon and Smashwords.
Pre-Order your copy now!
Life changed
dramatically for award-winning, bestselling author Juliet Braddock on January
13, 2017.
After suffering with
blurry vision, Juliet found herself in the emergency room, surrounded by a team
of neurologists. The diagnosis was Pseudotumor Cerebri, a rare disease that
produces excess spinal fluid on the brain. She’d lost sight when the pressure
from the fluid damaged her optic nerves.
Two spinal taps and
three surgeries—including a shunt to drain the fluids from her brain—did not
restore her sight. All along, she wondered and worried if she’d ever write
again.
“One of the saddest
days of my life was having to pull BLEMISHED from Amazon because I couldn’t make the publication
date,” Juliet said. “I remember speaking to the rep, and she was so kind when I
told her I was about to have brain surgery. But my heart was falling out of my
chest.”
A lifelong writer,
Juliet began spinning stories as soon as she learned to put pencil to paper.
She refused to give up on her greatest passion, and she knew she had to find a
way to finish BLEMISHED and continue her career.
With some help from her
neuro-ophthalmologist, Juliet discovered vision rehabilitation therapy and
software that magnified her computer screen. “I was amazed by the technology
available for people who are blind or have low vision. And with the computer
software, I was able to finish the book.”
Since her brain
surgery, Juliet has published BLEMISHED and SMITTEN, which won the National Indie Book Award for
Erotica. All along, though, she plotted through another story inside her head.
“When I started vision
rehab, I took the bull by the horns. I learned to use a cane. I kept my
mind open to devices and gadgets that could help me manage my vision loss. I
even made a career change,” Juliet said. “It was so important to me to return
to living a normal life again.”
As the story of BLINDSIDED began to unfold,
Juliet had one goal. “I wanted to show people who might have lost sight that
there is hope and help out there.”
In BLINDSIDED, vision loss disrupts
reporter Josie Rossi’s world, but she’s determined to recover with assistance
from the most unexpected places—and from former lover and rival journalist
Oliver Billington. As their lives converge again through
tragedy, Josie and Oliver must ultimately decide if trust can salvage the
remnants of their love.
“You don’t realize how
much you depend on your eyes—from my job to walking down steps to going to the
theater and museums. Suddenly, everything I did in my old life seemed like it
depended on my sight.”
BLINDSIDED is dedicated to
Juliet’s vision rehabilitation therapist, whom the author credits with giving
her the courage to conquer this curve in the road.
Juliet also hopes to
raise awareness of rare diseases that cause vision loss. “There are very few
scientific facts on Pseudotumor, and I was asymptomatic.” By the time of her
diagnosis, the damage to her optic nerves was irreversible, and Juliet is now
legally blind. “But people need to know that this disease doesn’t have to be a
death sentence. You can work a full-time job. You can write that book you’ve
been plotting in your head.”
Since her last surgery,
she’s traveled to visit friends both in the US and abroad, including a trip to
Scotland. She’s also managed to keep up with her other hobbies of theater and
art with special binoculars that she wears to catch the latest Broadway musicals
and art exhibits in New York City.
Now, she considers
every day a celebration. “I took life for granted when I was fully sighted,”
Juliet said. “My friends, my career—and my writing. I’ve learned how to
appreciate the world on a new level since my vision loss and brain surgery.”
In her spare time,
Juliet loves travel, eighties music, wine, food, theater and all things French. When
she’s not exploring the big cities of the world—most notably Paris—she lives
and writes in Brooklyn and is the proud cat mom to a very spoiled Russian Blue
rescue. She’s also a lifelong Duran Duran fan.
Find Juliet
Braddock on:
Twitter: @julietbraddock
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