Compassionate Minds

By Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue

Taton has spent the last five years dedicated to improving an invention that will help people deal with stress. She came up with the concept in order to deal with the guilt of her late friend's passing. When she gets the opportunity to do a research study that might put the product on the market, she wastes no time in seizing the opportunity. With the help of her sister and Dr. Irene Campbell, Taton navigates the twists and turns of entrepreneurship, and in the process, she is faced with a whole new sense of self-discovery.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue
• Release date: Aug 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393202486

Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue

Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue is a Midwest-based author known for her captivating lesbian romance novels, compelling mysteries, and heart-pounding thrillers. With a talent for weaving emotion, suspense, and authenticity into every story, Nicole has built a loyal readership drawn to her richly developed characters and relatable themes. Her work reflects a deep understanding of human connection, identity, and resilience, often exploring the complexities of relationships in high-stakes settings. Nicole holds a Master's degree in Business Management with a focus on marketing, a background that not only informs her strategic approach to publishing but also brings a thoughtful precision to her storytelling. She began writing at a young age, inspired by a book she found in her local library written by a fellow eight-year-old. That early moment of discovery sparked a lifelong passion that has guided her creative journey ever since. When she's not writing, Nicole enjoys cooking new recipes, exploring new places through travel, and spending quality time with her family. Her stories are rooted in experience and imagination, making her voice both grounded and uniquely engaging. Whether penning a slow-burning romance or a thrilling mystery, Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue invites readers into worlds where love and intrigue go hand in hand.

Book preview

Chapter One

Taton looked out of the window of her hotel and out into the horizon. The day was early, but already she could tell that it was going to be a warm one. She sipped on her coffee as she watched people slowly filter out of the hotel doors and into the world. She knew that would be her in a couple of hours, and she had mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness. She had come to California to see her sister and perfect the product that she had invented before presenting it to investors. It had taken her years to come up with the concept, but she was happy that she had. Her invention was going to help millions of people and possibly help save lives.

Taton had been experimenting with the effects that music and stimulation had on the brain and had found a way to develop a pair of headphones that were able to sense the misfiring of neurotransmitters in the brain and play certain types of music in order to readjust their patterns. Music wasn’t the only component in this device though. There was a light massaging feature that helped reduce cortisol levels and boost the production of serotine. This invention had taken a lot of time and research, but she was sure that she had something. Now, all she needed to do was get a couple of research studies done and set up a business plan.

She had decided that after she had gotten everything set and ran through her prototypes that she was going to get an investor. That was the last step. She was going to need some sort of guidance in the sales process, and she wanted to make sure that she was doing everything that she could possibly do to ensure the product’s authenticity and quality for the consumer. Knowing that she would be able to help people is what motivated her to get up every day. She felt like people with mood and mental disorders had been ignored for too long, and most people failed to see the long-term effects that behavioral and holistic techniques could play in assisting with these issues.

Taton had, had her own issues in dealing with mood disorders. Her best friend, Ken, had gotten killed five years ago in an accident due to having to deal with these issues, and she had not been able to get past it. She had vowed from that day on to find a way to help people that suffered from these issues, a way that didn’t have any side effects. She thought about Ken often, and every day, it motivated her to come up with a better solution to dealing with the stress and pain that mood disorders and mental issues could bring. People took these issues lightly anymore and outcasted those that had to deal with issues like these without gaining information on what they really were and seeing the likeness between them and people that suffered from these issues. By isolating people due to their mood or mental issues, society had created a larger problem, making it difficult for people to speak up or voice their view without being stereotyped.

Taton finished her cup of coffee and pulled her phone out of her pocket to check her messages. Five missed calls. It had to be her sister. Taton dialed the familiar number and waited for an answer. Hello, she said when she thought that she heard a click.

Hello, Tate, where are you? her sister, Kate asked.

I’m still at the hotel, Taton replied. I wasn’t sure if you were ready for me yet.

Well, I am, Kate said. I’m down at the university lab. Try to get here soon. I had to contract another person to help me with the testing, and I don’t want to waste their time.

No problem, Taton said. I’ll be there soon. With that, she hung up the phone, put down her cup, and started gathering her stuff together. She knew that within the next hour, the testing of her product would be in process, and she was more than eager to find out how it worked in a real-life setting. She had only ever tested it on herself, and though she knew how she responded, she was curious to see how a group of participants reacted to it. Taton finished packing her bag and went into the bathroom to check herself over. She had gotten dressed early, nervous that she would miss her sister’s phone call and not be ready. Taton fixed a couple of stray hairs and turned out the light. Today was going to be the first step in getting her product out there, and she was curious to see the results.

Chapter Two

Kate walked around the lab, waiting for her lab partner to arrive. She had worked for months to get the grant, approving the research that was behind her sister’s invention, and the outcome of these research tests would determine if her department would receive extra funding for the next year. Kate had taken on the project, not because of her own self-interest or even because of the extra money. Instead, she figured that it would help Taton find closure in Ken’s death.

Ken Foster had been friends with Taton since they were young, and the two knew almost everything about each other. However, five years ago, Taton had been going through a rough time. She had suffered from a mental breakdown due to different issues that she was having in her life and substance abuse issues, and she had called Ken to be there for her. Ken, being the friend, he was, sped over on his motorcycle, to be by her sister’s side. Unfortunately, he never made it there. He was blindsided by a SUV that hit him and didn’t survive. Kate remembered how much pain Taton was in during this time. She had seen her sister break down before, but when Ken passed away, Taton never recovered.

Kate had known that Taton had a long history of moodiness and struggled with her day-to-day activities, but she didn’t know the source of these problems until Taton was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This didn’t happen until after Ken’s death, and Kate sometimes wished that it had been sooner. The two had grown up in a family that didn’t believe in mental or mood disorders, and in Taton’s case, Kate felt like this had limited her sister’s potential. Taton was highly intelligent, but until she had begun therapy and been put on a mood stabilizer, she noticed that her sister had a hard time dealing with her emotions. Kate couldn’t imagine everything that her sister went through. She wished that she had been more understanding earlier. She wished that she could have done something about Ken. However, the night that