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High Point is set in rural Pennsylvania for the first half then Los Angeles California for the second half. The story is fact-based and revolves around a group of characters who start out in their early twenties. Mia is a shy country girl who had a rough life. She’s between jobs when the story begins and suffering from an anxiety disorder. Mackie is a coworker and friend to Mia, but the relationship goes south quickly when Mackie’s obsession with Mia turns toxic.

Jett is a rock star with dreams to become a professional Motocross rider but without family support, he must find a way to fund his true dream. He is introduced to Mia backstage and instant chemistry leaps off the page. Jett is a sweetheart. He’s also gorgeous and loaded with charisma, generous, and everything a girl could want in a guy. I like to make my heroes almost perfect. Jett does have a vulnerable side, which is portrayed in the story, which makes him even more endearing.

Mackie is a lunatic and was a fun character to play with. Her antics come back to bite her, and her one-liners are memorable. High Point is a second-chance romance. Many of the events were pulled from real-life experiences that I’ve wanted to write about for a long time. The romance is inspired by the only man I ever loved, and the ups and downs of Mia and Jett are portrayed realistically. No fantasy here! Mackie’s character was also real, which makes this story truly unique and perhaps not likable to some as Mackie is a lesbian woman. There is no LGBTQ romance in this book, though. Mackie’s desire for Mia is one-sided. Kat is Jett’s sister and she’s quite a witch. So we have the awkward, socially challenged heroine, the hottie sweetheart rockstar, the lesbian villain and the nasty interfering sister. The second half of the story brings in new characters to round out the plot and add even more dimension. I incorporated my love for Motocross into the plot. One thing readers should know, the fact that Mackie is a villain and a lesbian in no way reflects my views on LGBTQ society. I chose to write the story as it really happened. There was no other way to write Mackie’s character than how she really was. Of course, I heavily fictionalized everything and embellished the plot. But the characters’ personalities stayed pretty true to who they were. My goal in writing High Point was to rewrite history and give this story the ending I wanted it to have. I chose to really step out of the box here and write a book that could be offensive to some but is overall a fabulous read that scored four stars from InD’tale Magazine on the first published edition. After the review, I considered the reviewer’s trigger warnings and rewrote the book again to remove them and soften anything potentially disturbing. Even so, you can’t please everyone. I had to be happy with this book. If I’m not happy with it, I won’t publish it.

It’s only rock and roll but I hate it. Groupies, parties, a cheating ex, and a dark night spawned a wake-up call. I’d shifted my focus to work and avoiding social media. Singing lead for a famous band had become nothing more than a steppingstone to my true dream of racing Pro Motocross. I hadn’t dated in years. Then ‘she’ showed up and everything in me longed to be with her. I was stoked she’d agreed to join me at High Point Raceway for the weekend, even if it meant putting up with Mack. Better still, Mia wasn’t a groupie, not even close. She wasn’t even a fan of our music. If love at first sight had a name, it would be Mia Fringe and I had to make her mine. ~ Jett

I’d seen him in passing over the years. He was the neighbor of my best friend. But we’d never officially been introduced until the night Mackie badgered me into meeting him after attending his band’s concert. I tried not to look awestruck, stunned that someone this gorgeous had been within my scope for years but had not caught my attention. He had success written all over him. Girls like me didn’t end up with guys like him. Recently unemployed, still living on the family farm, and recovering from a nervous breakdown, I was a mess. But Jett saw something in me that nobody else ever had…worth. ~ Mia

Action, drama, and chaos kick off right from the start at High Point Raceway when Mackie has second thoughts about playing matchmaker between Mia and Jett. However, when the week of bliss comes to an end, Mia is heartbroken and confused as to why Jett doesn’t keep his promise. She accepts a job as a reporter three thousand miles away to escape the pain.

Ten years later, Mia and Jett cross paths in the most startling way. She’s about to discover the truth of what really happened so long ago. Will she be able to trust Jett again when he pleads for a second chance? Can love and forgiveness conquer a decade of hurt? It all goes down in the dirt during the last race of the season.

Enjoy an Excerpt

A shadow of disappointment prowled through my mind. He’d slammed on the brakes. I could’ve taken it as rejection. But he was no fool. He was bound to uncover the truth before giving too much of himself.

“We forgot to bring lunch,” I pointed out as we entered the cave.

“Oh yeah. I had other things on my mind. Maybe we’ll find some berries.”

“In May?” I giggled. “For that matter, why not root around in logs for honeycombs.”

He laughed. “We could do that.” Then he dipped his brows in a comical expression and said in a deep voice, “I’ll fight off the bears for you, my love.”

Love? He dropped the L-word? I stared at him. Was it a slip? Or a mere casual expression? After all, Europeans used it very casually. My thoughts went into overdrive. I hated when that happened.

“Let’s explore. Maybe the natives left behind some jerky,” he teased with a grin.

“The eternal optimist,” I countered. “I love it.”

We wandered deeper into the cave between moss-covered slate walls. Water trickled down the sides. The cave smelled musty. Something skittered across the rocky floor. I screamed and leaped sideways.

“There are creepy crawlies in here!”

“I saw that,” he said. “No worries. They’re more afraid of us than we are of them.”

“Uh…speak for yourself.” I shrieked again. “Jett!” I had jumped onto a ledge a foot above ground and clung to the wall. “I’m not this much country. Can we go please?”

“Okay, doll.” He smiled apologetically. “There’s nothing to see in here anyway. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Something sticky brushed my face. I swatted frantically but seemingly had entangled myself in a web. The more panicked I became the worse things got. My flailing arms gathered more webbing. I slipped off the ledge in all my thrashing about and tumbled to the ground, scraping my arms and legs on the way down.

“Mia!” He caught my arms. “Stop. Baby, stop moving!”

“Oh no…” I whimpered. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” he replied calmly but apprehension snuck into his voice. “Just stay very, very still, doll.”

“Omigosh,” I cried.

He snapped a twig from a branch sticking out of the wall and in my peripheral vision his arm moved painstakingly slowly. I held my breath and didn’t dare twitch. A couple of agonizing minutes later, he tossed the stick aside then swept me into his arms.

“We should get the hell out of here,” he muttered.

I clung to him. “What was it?”

“You don’t wanna know.”

“Ew. Ew. Did it bite me? Am I okay?”

“Sshh, you’re safe now. It never touched your skin. It saw all that beautiful blonde hair and thought, hm, a perfect place to spell out the word radiant.”

“Omigosh. It was one of those…I can’t even say it. Ew. Ew. Get me out of here.”

He broke into a run with me in his arms. I didn’t take a full breath until we exited the cave.

“I need another bath.” I continued frenetically brushing my arms and head, still in panic mode.

We made our way back to the waterhole and I didn’t hesitate to strip down and dive in. I submerged myself, scrubbing my face and hair furiously. He dove in with me. When I finally calmed down, convinced I’d rid myself of anything that’d hitched a ride, I relaxed and casually swam around.

“Seems I’ve discovered your one fear,” he said upon swimming over to me. “You don’t like bugs.”

“No. I don’t. Especially the kind that makes webs.” I shivered at the thought.

“I’m really sorry.” He began to laugh. “I had no idea. I don’t mean to laugh. Honest. I’m not mocking you. But you were a sight back there.”

“Ha-ha.” I scowled. “Why’d you sound so urgent when telling me to stop moving?”

“I didn’t want it to bite you. Those things typically aren’t aggressive unless they feel threatened. And you, my dear, were definitely in a frenzy.”

“Now I’m cold, hungry, and freaked out. I’m never going into a cave again.”

About the Author: “I am a fan of happily ever after. My novels are too!”

Susan Zoe enjoys creating contemporary, paranormal, fantasy and romantic suspense stories with a gritty flair. Her stories are her own, and she typically writes outside the box. She’s always been a leader not a follower. Writing is her mental filter and how she processes the world around her, a fictional place where she can control the outcome at her comfort level with justice and happy endings. Her imagination is her greatest strength as it carries her away from daily stress.

As a survivor of hardship and chronic disease, she takes one day at a time and treasures the simple things in life. Susan Zoe is a Christian, loves animals, and practices being kind and generous every day. When not immersed in new stories, she enjoys watching movies, Motocross and Supercross, playing Yahtzee with her fiancé, and hanging out with her loyal 24/7 companion and trained service dog. She’s not a fan of sitcoms as they don’t offer enough mental stimulation. Losing herself in an intense story gives her brain the workout it needs to manage OCD, anxiety, depression, and stress.

Her achievements thus far include The Golden Wings Award for her debut novel The Satellite, the UK Nobel Pin and Editor’s Choice Award for her poem The Lonely Man, numerous 5 Star Reviews from Fallen Angels Reviews, Coffee Time Romance, InD’tale Magazine, Goodreads and more for current and retired novels. She was also a RONE Awards Finalist in 2017.

She loves to hear from readers and chat!

In her words, “Writing is the only time I’m truly free.” She’s happiest when her intriguing characters come to life and steal her away into their worlds where anything is possible.

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