Playing favorites…
Available October 3rd
As parents, we don’t play favorites among our children. Each one is unique. Each one is special with both sweet and exasperating ways. Therefore, each one is a favorite. I have three sons, and I used to tell David that he was absolutely my favorite middle child 🙂
As authors, we usually don’t have a favorite book among our body of work. Readers ask that question all the time. We might have certain warm memories about writing a particular story. One story may have been more fun to write than another. But the work is always challenging and the usual–and honest–answer to that question is to say that our favorite book is whichever story we’re working on currently. We’re excited, our minds are engaged in the current story, so our work-in-progress is a truthful answer. Certainly, if you write enough books, a few will stand out. The debut novel holds a special place in our hearts because it’s the first. It holds a unique status as the bridge between wannabe and professional writer status. More than likely, however, it will not be the best book in the author’s repertoire.
Among my own fifteen books, a few claimed my heart. In The House on the Beach, Laura McCloud went on with her life–and found love–after fighting a bout of breast cancer. Naturally, she mimicked my own medical experience at that time. Another story that claimed my heart was The Soldier and the Rose, a book set in my own hometown of Brooklyn, New York right at the start of WWII. I loved revisiting not only the setting, but the sensibilities of the time–attitudes, foods, fashion–the energy of people trying to make it through the war and afterwards, no matter what.
As touching and emotional as those stories were for me, they were merely a prelude to the emotional frenzy of writing HOPEFULLY EVER AFTER: Breast Cancer, Life and Me. This book is non-fiction. It is a memoir. A true story of surviving cancer twice. This is not fiction based on truth, but true on every page. This is not a story “as told to” another person where truth might get lost in translation with imprecise language. The events I write about really happened to me.
I wish they hadn’t. I wish I was an innocent instead of being an innocent victim. I wish I had no personal knowledge and had nothing to contribute to the national conversation about breast cancer. But I don’t have that luxury, not if I want to consider myself a human being of substance. So, I sat at the computer and began to write.
You’ll love the ending. Heck, I love the ending! After all, I lived to tell the tale. So, I invite you to take this journey with me. After a lot of turmoil, I landed in a soft place. You’ll like it there. I promise.
Before talking about the new contest, I want to thank everyone who visits the blog or follows me on Facebook for all your support and good wishes. I appreciate every one of you, and I hope you know that I wish you only the best in return. As Spock would say, “Live long and prosper!” And as always, I hope to see you for the next edition of Starting Over.
NEW CONTEST: To celebrate this month’s release of Hopefully Ever After: Breast Cancer, Life and Me, I’m awarding two $25 gift certificates to two lucky people. Your choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Plus books. Choose two from the group below which were released very recently from the authors of On Fire Fiction:
Linda,
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us concerning your breast cancer.
As a side note I treated myself to a manicure and had them done pink in honor of breast cancer awareness.
Beth
I like how you celebrated. October is definitely the “pink” month of the year. Thanks for stopping by, Beth.
Good blog, Linda. Spoken from the heart. I loved the stories you mentioned too. I love the WWII era and hope more people write love stories about the era when life was tenuous and love often hit fast, but lasted forever.
Roz – Thanks so much for reading and loving my books. Your description of that era is right on. “…life was tenuous and love often hit fast but lasted forever.” I hope that love still lasts forever. More important…that people are happy with themselves. Thanks for visiting.
Linda
Linda, a huge thank you for sharing your story in the book. A really important one.
You’re very welcome, Tessa. I wanted to share and maybe help other recognize the genetic component of the disease. Maybe it can save a life or two.
Linda
Hopefully Ever After and your experience with breast cancer is inspiring, uplifting and truthful which is what I want to read. This post is so special and beautiful relating your writing and your books. I have read and loved The Soldier and The Rose since it takes place during my favorite era and is meaningful and important. Wishing you best best of heath for many years, enjoyment, adventures and many more writing dreams fulfilled.
Ellie – thank you so much for your well wishes. So sincerely said. Glad you enjoyed the books and the blog, too.
Linda