What I Know ... What I Want to Know
My husband, Patrick, was having lunch with an old friend
that he served a mission with. The conversation went something like this:
Friend: “What
does your wife do?”
Patrick: “She’s
an author.”
Friend: “Oh,
wow, that’s interesting. What does she write?”
Patrick:
“Mostly romantic suspense.”
Friend: (Lets
out a snide chuckle.) “You know what she’s doing, don’t you?”
Patrick: (Starting to get suspicious and a little annoyed.)
“I’m not following you.”
Friend: “She’s
writing those romance novels to live out some sort of wish fulfillment.”
Flash forward to a few hours later …
Patrick comes home and tells me about the conversation. At
first, I’m flabbergasted! This quickly turns to anger, and I have a sudden
dislike for Patrick’s “old friend” that I’ve never met.
“That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard,” I say as my
eyes bulge and steam spews from my ears. “He doesn’t even know me! How dare he
make such an accusation!” I let out a harsh laugh. “Well, that’s the first time
I’ve ever been accused of that,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s not hard to see
why your friend is single! He obviously knows nothing about women!”
The assertion that I write romantic novels because I’m
somehow dissatisfied with my real-life relationship is utter nonsense and not
worth a discussion, but the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize
that Patrick’s friend was right in one microscopic aspect. I do write about
things that intrigue me. Any writer worth her salt can live a thousand lives in
the confines of her stories. Lives that are only limited by her imagination.
We’ve all heard the catch phrase that authors should “write
what they know.” There’s obvious merit in this. After all, there’s nothing
worse than getting halfway into a novel and then realizing that the author
knows zilch about the setting or the profession of the character. But let’s
face it—if I stuck to writing only the things I know, I wouldn’t write much. I
once heard Jodi Picoult speak at a book conference in New York. She talked
about this very thing. Her solution was simple—she writes what she would like
to know. Of course that means she has to research the topic until she knows it
like the back of her hand, but that’s where the fun comes in. I love exploring
new ideas for books. It’s one of my favorite parts of writing.
I have to admit—When Darkness Falls challenged me. I came
away with a new appreciation for the amount of meticulous planning that a jewel
heist would require. Writing this novel made me wish for an analytical mind. I
found myself wanting to be more like those chess players that can see several
steps ahead at all times. I went back to the drawing board again and again,
trying to get it right.
It was with great trepidation that I sent the finished novel
to a few trusted readers to get an honest opinion. I passionately waited to
hear the feedback, gnawing my fingernails to stubs. I was thrilled … and
relieved to hear that the readers loved it! At this point, I let out a gigantic
sigh of relief that I swear could be heard clear to Colorado! Few things are
more rewarding than getting a positive review on one of my books. I’m looking forward to the novel’s
release tomorrow (Nov. 10th) and am excited for everyone to read it!
Oh, and the romantic aspect is stellar in this humble author’s opinion. (That’s
something I do know a little about from experience, thanks to my amazing
husband!)
When
tragedy unfolds to betrayal … a haunting love refuses to die …
Chloe Kensley tries to put her life back together after her fiancé, Dan, is killed. Things get really bizarre when she starts seeing Dan’s ghost. He torments her in her dreams, and her terror mounts to new heights when she starts seeing him during waking hours.
In her search to carve out a new life for herself, Chloe meets two intriguing brothers and becomes the pawn in a deadly game of intrigue and betrayal where she must fight to stay alive amidst the growing darkness. Will the ghosts of the past prevent her from truly finding love, or will she finally be delivered when darkness falls?