Only Five Days Until
Memory Box Secrets’
Official Release!
If I knew then what I know now, Memory Box Secrets never would have been written. Still, of all the books I’ve written, it probably tells my favorite story. Goes to show that not knowing everything about the craft at once can be a good thing.
Prevailing wisdom says that while series are popular, having the hero/heroine be the same throughout the series isn’t terribly wise, and that makes sense. When you follow the same H/H from book to book, there’s always back story and character development that needs to be carried from one book to the next, and it’s very difficult to write a sequel that can be read as a standalone without weighing it down.
So, why did I do it? Well, this wisdom didn’t come to me until after the first three books were written. Chain of Mercy (Coming Home, book #1) was the first novel I ever penned. When I attended my first conference and took a plotting class from James Scott Bell, I learned that I really had two books in one. So, I chopped that first book in half, added meat to both books, and suddenly I had completed two entire novels!
Since then, the story in Memory Box Secrets has become perhaps my favorite (if it’s possible to choose a favorite). It’s very complex, has several story lines going on, and those stories are seen from five (yes, five!) points-of-view (another thing I wouldn’t recommend and would never do again!). Yet, each of those points-of-view plays an important role in the main story. Every subplot comes together in the end, maybe not tying the story into a neat little bow, but each story and each character is an integral part of the story’s rich tapestry.
And then there’s the subject matter of Memory Box Secrets. One of the subplots deals with a young, unmarried couple who’ve decided to give their baby up for adoption. I’ve read a lot of stories about adoption, and they’re all beautiful, but too many of them lay guilt on the birth parents rather than lauding them for doing something beautiful, loving, and courageous. Memory Box Secrets is my standing ovation for birth parents who choose to go the adoption route. I hope I do them justice.
So there’s a peek into the writing of Memory Box Secrets. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do.
Comments 2
Great backstory to your novel, Bren. Some things are meant to be written, to defy the odds or the current trends. Down the road we might all change things in the books we’ve written, but sometimes they’re best just the way they’ve come together in spite of all the naysayers.
So true! I’m so glad I wrote this book before I knew about all the rules! 😀