Saturday, October 3, 2015

I feel fortunate and happy to have a job

I'm busy writing my book.  If I didn't have a contract binding me to a delivery date in the near future, I would not be working this hard.  I feel fortunate and happy to have a job to do and realize that my happiness is based on purposeful work. I like to work.   Happiness, by the way, is a quiet thing.  Happiness is like an agreeable companion who links arms and walks with you and let's you lead the conversation.

 I have no concept of what "working hard" means for a writer.  People who jackhammer concrete in 90 degree heat work hard.  Window cleaners in high rise buildings who dangle over the abyss while they swipe a squeegee over glass work hard.  School teachers who teach teenagers work hard. 

Sometimes the characters in this book speak up and tell me how they want to proceed.  Sometimes minor characters show me how they can be used to move the story along.  I am continually amazed at the process because it defies explanation and sounds false.  It is not false.  This is my seventh book and the writing experience is very different.  I'm trusting it but I'm not sure I should trust it completely.

I'm posting today because my book, Three Daughters, is part of an Amazon promotion for the month of October.  You can buy all 722 pages of the Kindle edition for 1.99.  It's going to be on sale in the UK, too, beginning Oct. 9th.




4 comments:

  1. I loved Three Daughters, but fervently need to know about Delal, James, Star and Cassie's futures! Does Delal have a son? Does Star find happiness after so much tragedy? Does she have to contact her biological family?

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    1. Dear Mary Ann,
      First, thank you for taking the time to write. I love hearing from readers.
      I am sympathetic to your "need to know." I will let you in on the writing process. Characters, believe it or not, tell you how they need their story to unfold. The characters in Three Daughters spoke to me all the time and they insisted on certain events. That said, there are some clues in the ending that you can use to answer some of your questions. Star, having survived that a loveless marriage and the revelations of her past, has chosen to return to her life in America. That choice tells us a lot. She feels strongest in America and is confident of the future. If she chooses to seek her biological family it would probably be because Cassie deserves the comfort of a nearby family.
      Delal and James will settle into a marriage that suits their character - she is a tough, go-getter and he will bask in her attentions. I think they do have a little boy.
      Hope all of this helps and honestly, it clarified a lot for me as well. CSB

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  2. I just finished Three Daughters and loved it. I appreciate your response above, as I wondered the same things. I was sad that neither Miriam's nor Nijmeh's passionate love affairs were fulfilled, but I see why their stories went the way they did. Happiness can and does appear in unexpected ways. Now I'll go and see what else you've written. Thanks!

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    1. Sorry it took me so long to respond. Just saw this.
      Thank you for the generous comments and I'm happy to hear that you benefited from the answer above.

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