Simple Man

Having recently formed a rock band with his closest friends, TJ Hanson was looking forward to the summer of his life; jamming in his parent's pool house, playing gigs, and chillin' with his favorite girl, Emily. When he suffers a devastating loss that threatens to crumble his world, TJ is forced to look at friendship, family and life as he knows it, in a whole new way.

Kathy Picciano grew up on Long Island, the oldest of three girls. That is, of course, if you count the two minutes between her and her identical twin. After many moves around the country she now lives in Winter Park, FL with her husband, two daughters and three dogs. Kathy enjoys playing tennis, gardening, and reading, though she’ll admit she was not a big reader until after graduating high school. ＂My mom read all the time and never understood why my sisters and I would much rather play then read. When I no longer used my imagination for play, I used it to drift away into music and books.＂ Life changed dramatically for Kathy on January 12, 2009. Although the day started out like any other with the normal routine of getting her daughter ready for school and walking her dogs, it was interrupted by the swirling thoughts of a high school musician, the Vietnam War and rock and roll. Not exactly sure of what to do with the scenes being played out in her head, Kathy sat down at her computer and began writing. One year and 75,000 words later, her first novel IMAGINE was born. As a first time writer, Kathy has experienced many days filled with doubt and confusion. She says God finds away to send her a sign to keep going. Whether it be a chance meeting with an elderly gentleman in a supermarket who turned out to be a self taught piano player, the e-mails from parents expressing how their teenage son or daughter never read a book in its entirety until they read IMAGINE, giving the opportunity to the students of Barrington High to create the cover design, or the many requests for a sequel, which is entitled SIMPLE MAN. Creating a world for TJ Hanson and his friends in IMAGINE and SIMPLE MAN has given Kathy the opportunity to incorporate her love of classic rock, her knowledge of the music industry gained from her years as a personal secretary to the Rolling Stones, and the desires of talented musicians, into a story she hopes will inspire people to follow their dreams.