This Book Betrayed Me… In the Best Way

Hey Hey… It’s Tuesday Peps. How’s it going so far to start off your week?  I’m hanging in there as always trying to hit the grind between house and work. But I have had a question floating around in my noggin for a few days now that I would like to present to the class. It’s something I was asked by one of our new followers over on Hold My Pen Promptcast. 

How much thought do we put into the words we write? And what makes a scene difficult to write?

Most of us can relate to the painstaking, gurgling hours we put into each and every story or submission for the show. While most of the time the words just fall out and we have to make sense of them before presenting them to the public, some scenes hit us like a freight train, making it hard to deal with. 

I, personally, have been accused, on more than one occasion, of either using my stories as therapy or putting my characters through unnecessary pain. I see it as making, especially my female characters, relatable. We have all been through some shit and were still standing when the dust settled. Like Rose from Destined for More or Piper from Crossroads, things happen so quickly and choices have to be made. 

Most of those situations revolve around “do I lay down and take it” or “do I stand and fight”. My chicks don’t just stand and fight. No… No… Hell NO. They take the situation like a bull by the horns. Timid at first but once they find their footing on unstable ground, they hit and hit hard. Normally with some sort of need for self-preservation, but it's a 50/50 split.

So, really quick before we move on. How would you answer those questions? 

Now, on to the story that wrecked me in the most perfect way. And before anyone asks, it's nothing I’m currently writing. Not yet at least. It's actually something one of my friends wrote. CR McCormack. She writes the Dolan Syndicate series. Now, mafia books are one of my guilty pleasures that I swore I would never write. Because of her I did so without realizing until I was so far in I couldn’t stop myself. 

Her, I think My Neighbor is a Mobster, is the perfect mix of Hallmark meets GoodFellas. But it was Mobster and the PTA, which is the only one in the series that isn’t a romance. That sucker punched me in the gut. Big intimidating Mobster playing parent to a 6-year-old. And while he grumbles through damn near the whole thing. You can tell he loves her and cares about her. Which is one thing we have somehow lost sight of in literature. 

Not everything has to be sex, lust, drugs and rock-n-roll. There can actually be a plot, respect for the other, and still have the begging if it's written right. You can also still show these heartwarming moments that are still very much “touch her and die”, with a “this is my family, and no one hurts my family”. 

While you're deciding on your next book choice, consider checking out CR’s stuff. Link Listed below.

https://books2read.com/ap/RWrO9N/CR-McCormack

Be Brave, Be Bold, But Always Stay Humble