Is it Me, Or is it My Character:Fiction vs Autobiography

So yes, in this case this IS my puppy...Zoe!

When you read a book, do you wonder how much of the author’s real life is a part of his or her characters? I know I sometimes do, but I also realize that it’s fiction, so unless it’s autobiography, I don’t expect it’s ALL about the author. My characters are a perfect example.

I’m currently writing the third book in the Keeper Series, and this one will wrap up Del’s story. If you’ve read The Shell Keeper or A Road Back to Grace, and if you’ve followed my blogs, you may know that, yes, I am also a Realtor, like Claire, but I’m not Claire. And I also LOVE to bake and hang out in coffee shops, but I’m not Gwen (though it would be cool to own my OWN coffee shop/bakery!).

The same goes for Del. I’m not really a retiring wallflower blossoming under the encouragement of my new friends, but I do have a lot of experience at volunteer fundraising. Think you love chocolate? Try eating your way through sample after sample of potential chocolate fundraisers....it’s enough to make you crave a crisp apple or maybe even broccoli. Need Christmas wrap? Candles? School supplies? Popcorn? There’s a fundraising for that, and at least a dozen companies with their version of it.

I imagine that’s how Del started out, putting together fundraisers for her kids. By the time we meet her she’s moved up in the fundraising world and is organizing a Christmas gala with a silent auction for the local Women’s League. I’ve been a part of that sort of event as well and know that it’s a whole new level of volunteerism.

I am thankful for parents who have the time to dedicate to these because I understand just how much time that takes. It’s more than a full time job while it lasts, and a good campaign chairperson has to juggle egos along with scheduling, menus, worker bees, unhappy parents and tax deductible contributions, including adorable golden retriever puppies, really--that was QUITE a bidding war!

Like all writers, I bring a lifetime of experiences to the page. I start with what I know and let my imagination run with it. I don’t always know where my characters are going to take me—they have minds of their own sometimes.

As I put Del’s story in print I’m excited to find out where she will take me-and you! 

(Haven't read the first two books in the Keeper Series? Click on the links on the right side of my blog to find them on Amazon!)

Books That Inspire: Christy by Catherine Marshall

Recently, a fellow author asked me who were the inspirational authors of my youth? Before I even imagined writing, I read. But if I’d thought to emulate a favorite author, it could definitely vary depending on the day. I might have chosen, Jane Austen, or Orson Scott Card, or Willa Cather, or...well, it’s a very long list.

But it made me think, if I had to choose a book, the first book I remember having an impact on me as a reader, the first book that might have made me think, dare or dream of writing, it would have to be Christy by Catherine Marshall. Marshall based the book on her mother’s life and journey as a young woman, leaving behind a comfortable life to teach the poor of the Smokey Mountains. The experience challenged her and changed her. It changed Marshall’s readers as well, myself included.

It’s the kind of story mothers would probably like their young daughters to read today, but I think it’s been a little lost in the growing sea of literature for pre-teens, teens and young adults. Don’t get me wrong, there’s so much great writing out there now, it’s like a renaissance in those genres. But great stories are always great, no matter how long ago they were written and that’s definitely the case here.

A more recent example is Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden. Nothing Daunted is also written about a relative, and her friend who, in the 1800’s, journeyed beyond their comfort zone to teach in what was to them a wild new area--in this case, Hayden, Colorado, near Steamboat Springs. Like Christy, these women faced challenges they never imagined and found within themselves courage and faith they never expected. Their lives were also changed for the better.

When I was 13 I spent a good chunk of my summer sitting on that porch swing reading Christy (it’s a BIG book and I’m a slow reader). I think I may have cried when I finished it, as if I’d been parted from a dear friend. I went on to read more Catherine Marshall (A Man Called Peter, about her husband, who was chaplain of the senate, is also a wonderful book). Still, Christy stuck with me. I should be so fortunate to ever write something as timeless and touching as that story.

The original cover (1967)
I love the 'feel' of this cover!

I have a lot of little girls in my life now and I often give them books. As they grow into their teen years I look forward to sharing Christy with them. I hope they love it as much as I did. And I hope my older, author-self, might someday write something that challenges, inspires and encourages them and others. It would be my gift to my 13 year-old self who discovered a world of adventure during a sultry Midwestern summer, inside of the covers of a good book.  

FREE?! Yep, The Shell Keeper is FREE!

Whoa!😲Something must be in the air because the FREE eBook promotions just keep coming! Now it's The Shell Keeper's turn. If you haven't started my Keeper trilogy yet, or know someone who would love it, now's the time to jump in because...did I mention...the first book is FREE!  
But not forever, you only have THREE DAYS, starting tomorrow, March 4 through March 6 to get it free on your Kindle, then, like Cinderella's coach, it turns back into, well, not a pumpkin, but a full price eBook. 
Click HERE to once again be magically transported to my Amazon page where you can get yours. It's just like a Fairy Tale...and I guarantee a happy ending. 😊 

FREE Book...did I mention it's FREE?!

Woohoo! Looking for a fun mystery with humor and heart? Check out the first book in my Kay Conroy Mystery Series, FRAMED! Why now?? Because Amazon is running a FREE KINDLE PROMOTION for FIVE days, ending February 21st. So its FREE! As in, you can get a great book for FREE! What more could a fun loving reader ask? So go get it now!

Still here?? What's the delay, you're in the middle of another book and not ready for a new one just yet? I totally understand. That's ok, get it TODAY and you can read it when you're done with that other book. I know my book is not the only book out there...but it is a fun book and, well...if you like fun mysteries what do you have to lose? Afterall, IT'S FREE!!!

Okay, I've officially used up my month's alotment of exclamation points (and maybe next month's too! Opps, there goes another one). So CLICK HERE and you will be magically transported to the Amazom page where you can get FRAMED. Did I mention, it's FREE!!

Short and Sweet Review: Falling For A Viscount by Lana Williams

In Falling for a Viscount Ms. Williams has created a delightful and compelling couple for the latest adventure in her Seven Curses of London series.

Spencer and Dalia had known each other since childhood. That’s how Spencer knew that Dalia, though lovely and energetic, was also frustratingly reckless. Dalia, likewise, had formed her own conclusions and knew Spencer for the drab and overly cautious soul he was.

But when they encounter each other in the last place either would ever have expected--a seedy location known to draw prostitutes and their clientele--they are both forced to re-evaluate the other. Maybe Dalia’s behavior still tends to be rash, but Spencer starts to see that she acts for a higher purpose. Maybe Spencer still projects a dull and conservative front, but when danger arrives he acts with the speed and skill of a professional.

As their shared interests draw them closer they each are forced to reconsider the other, and the growing feelings that can’t be denied.  

This is book number six in the series. Pick it up and let the adventure continue! 

WOOHOO! Kindle Countdown starts TODAY!

Heads up! I'm having a Kindle Countdown on the The Shell Keeper (first book in the Keeper Series) STARTING TODAY! So if you got a new Kindle for Christmas-or just haven't gotten around to reading it, now's the time to pop over to Amazon and get The Shell Keeper on your Kindle. Starting tomorrow it will be 99 cents for a few days, then it will go up to $1.99 and finally back to $2.99 on January 3. Don't wait, grab it now while it's only 99 cents! CLICK HERE!

Happy Birthday Jane!

If, through some miracle of longevity, Jane Austen were still alive, she'd be 242 years old today. Think about it, just how is it that this female author, writing in a genre (the novel) that was frowned upon in her time, is still lauded today. It's not just that the books are exceedingly well written...there are other books that some might argue are greater 'works of fiction'. But Jane's stories speak so completely to the heart of humanity that they have become timeless.

While it's true, a woman's fortunes no longer hinge on 'making a good match', anyone who is between a rock and a hard place in their lives can appreciate the pictures her words drew of characters who hoped and dreamed, despite the odds, who sometimes felt resigned or beaten, but ultimately through fate or their own efforts, found what they longed for.

In Jane's day, a woman had very little control over these things, and it wasn't all about having the comfort of a nice home, a hopefully loving husband and financial security. It might truly be about having a home at all and some sort of security, making her dependent upon the charity of others for any comfort in life.

Things have certainly changed! But Jane is a stunning example of a woman who made her own choices, as best we can tell from what history has handed down to her readers. In her later years her writing did offer financial support for herself and her family. But she found this success with a kindly yet biting wit that still comes through in her pages. Take as proof the opening sentence of 'Pride and Prejudice'...

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." 

In those first few words she sums of the mores of the time, makes fun of them, and establishes one of the themes of the book. When you understand where she is writing from, you understand that that is not some weighty well of words that leaves you pondering--it should make you laugh. I'm sure it did her, and those who read it at the time.

Writing in and for her time is part of what made her timeless. She was born in England at the start of the American Revolution and during her life her country was at war, either with America or France, more often than not. Open criticism of traditional values, culture or politics could have serious consequences for yourself and your family. She toed the line nicely between gently prodding society and committing treason.

True, she probably would have fit in well with the 'Me Too' movement, as proposed in a recent Washington Post article, but there was so much more to her decisions. While she may have chaffed at the royal request to dedicate her book 'Emma' to the notoriously randy prince regent, she was targeting so much more than men behaving badly. She had society in her sites and she hit her target so incredibly well, and with both humor and insight, that both Jane, and her work remain relevant 242 years later.

Happy Birthday Jane!