The Summer of Letting Go Karma or Coincidence? Countdown (Ian T. Healy)

As some of you may know, THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO, my second novel for young adults comes out March 25th from Algonquin Young Readers.

THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO tells the story of almost-16-yr-old Francesca “Beans” “Frankie” Schnell who, four years ago witnessed her baby brother, Simon, drown. Guilty and broken, Francesca has hunkered down in the shadows of her life, resolved to play second fiddle to her dead brother’s memory and to her best friend Lisette, a blonde bubbly beauty Francesca lives vicariously through. That is, until she meets a young boy named Frankie Sky who bears an uncanny resemblance to her brother. Frankie brings humor and hope to Francesca’s life, but are all the similarities between Frankie and Simon merely wishful coincidences, or could he be Simon’s reincarnation?

Curious coincidences abound in THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO —not only the overlaps between Simon and Frankie Sky, but also Bradley’s gift to Francesca, Bradley’s bird sighting, and the ties to the statue of  Saint Florian (you'll have to read to know what these are ;)). Midway through the story Francesca starts to think these events can’t really be coincidences, “but something bigger and magical at work.”

Have you ever experienced strange events that seemed like more than coincidence and made you wonder if fate was at work or that soul and or reincarnation exist?

Throughout the month, I've decided to pose that question to friends, some writers, others bearing other artistic talents, for a brief account of their own experience with karma, kismet or a mystical connection. I leave you to answer the question, “Karma or coincidence? Random or something magical at work?” 

- gae

Today I have writer Ian T. Healy, author of the Just Cause Universe series of superherofiction, including JACKRABBIT, which releases in print and ebook versions worldwideon April 1, 2014. Ian puts a twist on a theme by talking about how much fate, if any, is involved in love. . . 

Love at First Sight

Love at first sight is a terribly overused cliché, but I do think it can happen to anyone once in a lifetime, and this was mine. We met by chance in high school, during a convention that only lasted two days. She lived far away. She had a boyfriend. I had a girlfriend. And yet, we both found something in those two days that couldn't easily be explained or forgotten.

Call it what you will. Call it puppy love or a fling or whatever, but this was Love in the Time of No Internet. We burned through hundreds of stamps, sending letters back and forth, making the sort of great romantic plans that teenagers do. All the while, we each lived our own lives, with our own relationships, remaining each others' pipe dreams. We graduated high school and went off to different colleges, and still the letters flowed back and forth. And then she transferred to my school. She wound up in the dorm room directly above mine. What are the odds, right? She was in one of my classes. The letters stopped due to proximity, but somehow the love we felt as kids never blossomed into anything more.

Over the years, we still ran into each other in the most unlikely of places. We talked about it, and have talked about it at length. I was never much for the guiding hand of Fate, because I am a firm believer in free will. But if there is such a thing, the Universe has expended a lot of energy and effort to push us together, and if that can give anyone hope for their own stories, may it be an inspiration.

- Ian

Please check out The Summer of Letting Go and all of Ian's books! Thanks for reading.