The blog
Remembering How to Make Music is my first novel and was about six years in development. I’d just finished reading all of LaVyrle Spencer’s backlist and thought, “oh my gosh, what will I read now?”
Don’t we all answer that question this way--”I’ll just have to write my own novel.” No? Well, I did. I can hear your giggles buzzing through the web right now.
So I created Vinnie and Chris. Vinnie is 48 and has hit the major turning point in her life. What would make it hard for her to discover new love, I wondered. What if she had a scar, a physical problem she was really insecure with? I had just experienced a surgical breast biopsy and was very self-conscious about the angry red three-inch scar on my breast. I knew something like that would work.
But what if Vinnie had to face more than just a scar? What if Vinnie had to deal with her husband leaving her--maybe when she was diagnosed with breast cancer?
My mom is a breast cancer survivor and the year I started Music, three of my friends were diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy. All cancers and serious illnesses are hard, but somehow breast cancer strikes at the heart of a woman’s sexuality.
Now what would help Vinnie regain her self-confidence? A handsome man, of course. A younger, handsome man who was crazy about her, right? Enter Chris. So I had my story and I started writing.
Then I learned about conflict, character arc, plot points. Six years later (and two other completed novels!) I finally have a story I love to read. I hope you’ll like Vinnie and Chris’s story, too.
Remembering How to Make Music...
where did it come from?
Monday, April 2, 2007
