Love, Loss, and Lingering Souls

Losing anyone in the course of life is tragic, but losing the love of your life can be as close to dying as you can get without crossing the threshold. But what if that person came back in the form of a spirit that only you could see and hear? Would you still be able to let your love go?
This is only one of the haunting questions that author and West Ashley resident Marissa Virtuoso addresses in her new book, Indigo Bunting.
Following the life of young Harper Lexington and the death of her fiancé, Jack, two months before their wedding, Indigo Bunting takes a spectral turn as Jack’s spirit returns from Purgatory to watch over his widowed wife. In doing so, however, he risks not only her life, but the fate of his soul.
“The book is basically about Harper trying to find herself again after she thought her life would take one direction and then it takes a horrible turn when her fiancé dies. She’s trying to pick up the pieces and become a normal person again when Jack comes back to her. So the question is, how does she move on when he’s still there? Both have to make decisions about what to do next and how to let go and move forward,” say Virtuoso.
Written over the course of four years, Virtuoso wove the haunting love story of Indigo Bunting during the odd, late hours she was able to steal while taking care of her newborn son.
“I’ve always enjoyed writing and I’ve been writing short stories and little bits and pieces of longer stories here and there since high school. After my first son was born, I decided to try my hand at a full length novel. I wanted to do a story about loss and how someone handles loss, but I wanted it to have a ghost story element, as well. The storyline just came to me as I typed,” say Virtuoso.
Now that her first son, Maxwell, is 4 and her youngest son, Cole, is 2, Virtuoso writes as often as she can and is already in the process of working on her second novel.
“It’s my way of letting go and relieving stress. When the kids are in bed, it’s something I can do for me; I can escape and create these worlds,” says Virtuoso.
And even though she didn’t write Indigo Bunting with publishing in mind, she received so many positive compliments about it that she decided to release it through Amazon.com, where it’s already garnered several five star reviews.
“The characters are well developed and I care for them deeply, always wanting Harper to find her happiness. This novel is filled with emotion and touches on some deep topics. It is captivating, and one of my favorites this year!” writes Becky Sizemore on the customer review page.
“Love it when I find a good read that you can’t wait to find time to sit down and devour another chapter. Beautifully written… Hope this author keeps them coming!” adds another reviewer.
While Virtuoso’s second novel will be a stand alone, she hasn’t set aside the idea of writing a sequel to Indigo Bunting. In the meantime, she’s enjoying the compliments and that fact that other people are enjoying her written world as much as she enjoyed writing it.
 
For more information about Indigo Bunting and author Marissa Virtuoso, visit www.marissavirtuoso.com. To read reviews about the novel and to purchase a copy, visit www.amazon.com.
Do you have an artistic venture that you would like featured in our A&E section? Get in touch with Kristin Hackler at kristin.hackler@gmail.com.