Lakeland Author J.P. Sims Turns Personal Loss Into a Novel About Love, Memory, and the People We Carry With Us

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Lakeland Author J.P. Sims Turns Personal Loss Into a Novel About Love, Memory, and the People We Carry With Us

LAKELAND, FL — August 24, 2026 — When Lakeland author J.P. Sims lost his father in 2023, the experience prompted him to reconsider the ambitions he had spent years putting off. He began writing journal entries about his father, initially with no larger project in mind. Those reflections eventually became the foundation for Three Loves, a novel exploring love, heartbreak, memory, loss, and the relationships that shape us long after they end.

Published independently by Black Spiral Press, Three Loves follows Declan O'Malley through three defining relationships at different stages of his life. Declan begins with an idealistic belief that love should be a grand adventure—something to pursue and earn as part of a meaningful life. As his experiences accumulate, that belief becomes more complicated.

Rather than functioning as a conventional romance, Three Loves examines what relationships leave behind. Each of Declan's three loves represents a different chapter in his emotional development, bringing its own hopes, disappointments, discoveries, and lasting influence.

The novel's origins are deeply personal to Sims. After his father's death, writing became a way to reflect on loss and on the ambitions he had postponed. What began as private journal entries gradually evolved into fiction, allowing Sims to explore broader questions about memory, relationships, and personal growth.

The three central relationships in Three Loves serve as markers in time during the protagonist's life. Rather than attempting to recreate real-life relationships literally, Sims transformed their emotional influence into fiction and used Declan's journey to explore a larger question: Do the lessons we learn from relationships stay with us, even after those people are gone?

For Sims, the answer is that a relationship does not necessarily have to last forever to remain meaningful.

"Three Loves grew out of a period when I was forced to think about what matters, what we leave unfinished, and how much of ourselves is shaped by the people who come into our lives," Sims said. "I wanted to explore the idea that even relationships that end can continue to influence who we become. I've loved writing since I was a teenager, so getting back into feels natural."

The novel is intended for readers who have experienced heartbreak, grown older and looked back on past relationships, or wondered why certain people continue to occupy a place in their memories years after they have left their lives.

Sims hopes the story will resonate with readers who recognize that growing up is not a single moment, but an ongoing process shaped by love, loss, mistakes, and the people who help us discover who we are.

What began with grief ultimately became a first novel—and the beginning of Sims's larger ambition to build a career as an independent novelist. His next novel, The Muse, is set to come out before the end of 2026.

Three Loves is available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover editions on Amazon and Barnes and Noble now.

About J.P. Sims

J.P. Sims is a Lakeland, Florida-based independent novelist and the author of Three Loves. His fiction explores relationships, personal growth, memory, and the complicated ways people influence one another. Three Loves is published by Black Spiral Press.

Media Contact:
J.P. Sims
Black Spiral Press
jpsims.net