Readers get a rare glimpse into the patient experience as Locklear shares the details of his major heart attack and treatment that saved his life in Sacred Heart Hospital in Montreal. He takes you inside the operating room as he narrates what was happening as the medical team worked to save his life. 

Atlanta (December 11, 2013)– “Almost like the heart attack itself, the idea and demand for this story has been a total surprise,” said Chattanooga native Jimmy Locklear, 61, about his new book Sacred Heart Attack | Sacrée Crise Cardiaque: A Dramatic Account of an American Heart Attack Victim in Montreal (WestBow Press, 2013). “As a long-time professional writer and marketer, I had worked on book ideas before, but this was one of the easiest manuscripts that I ever attempted to write.”

Locklear will be signing copies of Sacred Heart Attack, as well as Heart Journey (his devotional book with 30 daily reflections) on Thursday December 19, 2013, at Happy Home Realty, 300 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN 37415, from 2:00–6:30 PM. He will also be discussing the value of journaling and writing scenes from your life. The author will be donating $1 for each book sold to the Times Free Press Neediest Cases Fund.

Approximately 1.4 million Americans experience a heart attack each year, but most of the family and friends of victims have no idea what the experience is like and what goes on in the emergency and operating rooms. Locklear tells his story with attention to detail and a combination of humorous observations and spiritual insights that makes for an amazing journey for readers. Locklear said that he wrote the book partially because of the enthusiastic response he received as he shared vignettes from his experience on his personal website. He also found the experience of writing to be helpful in dealing with the post-traumatic stress and anxiety that he and many other heart attack survivors experience.

“I have been a marathon runner, mostly healthy eater and only 60-years-old when the attack occurred. I was shocked. Shortly after returning home, I began writing a journal of my experience of the heart attack; rushing to the ER, emergency procedures to break up the 100% blocked “widow-maker” artery, and my time in the Sacred Heart Hospital in Montreal. Subsequently, I began posting short chapters on my website and the response was amazing,” said Locklear.

Locklear is a graduate of Hixson High School (1970) and UTC (1976). Along with being a writer, Locklear was a public relations and marketing executive in Atlanta for over 25 years. He was in Montreal for a workshop with the international organization known as L’Arche (“the Ark” in French) that focuses on building inclusive communities where adults with disabilities play a core part. He is married and has three sons and one daughter-in-law.

Contact information for review copies: Jimmy Locklear, jimmy(at)jimmylocklear.com