Living in a small Kentucky town with his alcoholic father, Josh Miller's life has been on a downward spiral since his mom passed away from cancer four years earlier and he later underwent a life-saving operation, forcing him to move across the country from California to Bedford. Lately, he's been debating between living the life he wants in becoming a writer and the one his father chose for him in working at the local power plant. That dilemma has created a collision course between the two, one in which Josh ultimately decides to leave to chance.Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in Chicago, Ella Birdshire remains in mourning for a fiancee who died while serving during his third tour in Afghanistan. Josh and Ella appear to have little in common but are more connected than they imagine. Their lives will converge with an unexpectant twist that result in both realizing there are no coincidences in life and some things happen with no rationale explanation.The Beating Heart is Tommie Kendall's third novel, following 101 Letters and Forgotten Secret. The author has a love for storytelling and lives in Shelbyville, Kentucky, with his two children Emma and Cruz.