10/22/10: A Writer's Life
Goddess Fish Promotions is hosting a virtual book tour for Sherry Gloag's debut novel, The Brat, a contemporary romance.
Sherry is available for guest posts and interviews. She will also be giving away an eBook copy of The Brat to the blog host with the most comments (excluding their own, Sherry's, or duplicates) as well as one randomly drawn commenter.
Tour dates:
10/1/10: Goddess Fish Party Pavilion
10/4/10: LASR Spotlight
10/5/10: LASR Spotlight
10/6/10: LASR Spotlight
10/7/10: LASR Spotlight
10/8/10: LASR Spotlight
10/11/10: Romance Alley
10/12/10: Fantasy Pages
10/13/10: The Phantom Paragrapher
10/14/10: Peony's Pleasure Cafe
10/15/10: I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read
10/18/10: Bad Girls (and Boys) Writer's Block
10/19/10: 4 the LUV of SaNiTy
10/20/10: D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters
10/21/10: Between the Pages
And so, here she is.....
Sherry: Once upon a time a romantic story focussed on the romance between the hero and heroine. Yes, of course they included motives, goals and conflict, but times change and the focus shifts.
Readers and publishers demand more involved plots, more and wider interests other than the romantic aspect. Readers wanted to get into the head of the hero, so the single point of view romance bit the dust. And along came hunk-of-the-month who thought for himself and didn’t simply react to the heroine. The story widened and the romance deepened because the reader enjoyed the more two-dimensional story.
And now? Well now, if you follow reader reviews they demand, get, and thoroughly enjoy the intensity of physical adversities the authors put their characters through. The demand for emotional intensity is still there, but the reader wants ‘real’ people to walk through the pages of the stories they read today.
And in this month of breast cancer awareness you can’t get much more real than this. There is hardly a family in the Western world that is not touched by it directly, or indirectly.
To cast your heroine, or for that matter, your hero as cancer survivors is not an easy task, but I have read books that have done both, and done them with style and compassion. Indeed, in my WIP (which I first wrote in 2006) one of my secondary characters is a cancer sufferer, and I researched the MacMillan Trust http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx which is a major British cancer care and support charity.
The people and stories I came across were humbling. But that wasn’t the first time I came across The MacMillian Trust.
Many years ago I used to work with the Visually Challenged (I believe is the modern PC way of describing them) and heard the current MacMillan advert while I was driving to a regular meeting that particular day when I heard the poem Footprints in the Sand for the first time.
Footprints in the Sand
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of
his life there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he
questioned the LORD about it:
"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when
I needed you most you would leave me."
The LORD replied:
"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."
*Attributed to various people so will credit it to Anonymous*
I keep that poem beside me at all times, and read it when I am flagging, and I always, but always, think of those wonderful, and amazing people who work and volunteer for cancer charities and are there for those in their times of need.
Not so long ago my story came back, not because they didn’t like the background I’d given my secondary character but because it lacked pace. Not only do I believe in my main characters in this story, but I believe Bella’s story deserves to ‘get out there too’.
Today’s romances are about real people and their real problems while they cope with the romance that enters their lives, and the challenges their authors throw at them.
~Sherry
We'd like to introduce you to her new book,
'The Brat.'
Here is the books' blurb:
Gina Williams is a 35-year-old famous children’s author, who also writes detective mysteries under the name of George Williamson.
She was robbed of her childhood when aged ten by the late mother of the hero, Ben Kouvaris.
When he was ten-years-old his mother sent him to her ex Theo Kouvaris, multi-millionaire, who lives in Greece. When he returns to her funeral he is haunted by the beautiful woman who organised the funeral.
When his father orders him to marry he thinks of Gina Williams.
They have to overcome the horrors of the past and forgive their parents for their betrayals. Will their past destroy their future?
Here is a short excert from the book:
The Brat – Pg 99
“I guess life diverted your dreams.”
The earlier light-hearted banter between them vanished. “Yes.” Ben signalled the waiter, passed over his credit card, and rose.
She leaned forward to pick up her bag just as her phone rang. Without checking the caller ID she took the call.
“You think I don’t know what you’re up to?”
The last time she heard that voice the Inspector had walked into her house seconds later. The phone almost slipped through her fingers, and she swung away from Ben’s perceptive stare.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
“You won’t deny your family’s existence for much longer, I promise you.”
The dial tone buzzed in her ear. Dear God in heaven, what did that mean? She’d never denied her family! They’d deserted her.
~~~~~
I've read this book already!! And it's quite the heart-wrencher!! She had quite the childhood, and it still eats at her in her adult years as well. Read this wonderful book to see how she deals with it....
~Steph
hello, I am a new follower. Would love to have you follow me back :)
ReplyDeletehttp://mommaneedsablog.blogspot.com
Steph, thank you for hosting me here on your site. And thank you too, for your kind words about The Brat. I'm delighted you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteOh Sherry, that's just amazing. I really have "The Brat" on my reading list.
ReplyDeleteNot only that, I'm a breast cancer survivor and I think you're so brave to write about it because that's the way you can give people hope. Although I'm fine I'm not able to write about it - so thank you to everyone who can.
As for the poem, I adore it. I have Margaret Fishback Powers's book on why she wrote it and I even have a bracelet (which I bought in Westminster Cathedral's bookshop in London) which follows the poem - there's a bead or a symbol which signifies every line (e.g. "I noticed two footprints in the sand is a medal with two sets of footprints). I wear it all the time.
You're having a great blog tour.
Sue Roebuck
Sue, :-) Thank you for joining me on my travels. It's great to see you.
ReplyDeleteYes writing Bella's scenes were not easy, but I wanted to convey the message given out by so many who've had cancer and come through the other side that life is to be celebrated. Bella, and therefore those who love her have some hard decisons to face but all the while the atmosphere is upbeat and positive.
Although Bella is a secondary character, she has a major impact of the other characters lives.
Your bracelet sounds wonderful. A treasure.
Thanks again for coming by.
HI Sherry,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post and I too love the poem Footprints in the Sand. My sister-in-law is a six year breast cancer survivor so this is a subject near and dear to my heart.
Congrats on The Brat and best wishes for your writing career.
Rebecca, I'm delighted to hear of your sister-in-law's survival. Thank you, too, for your kind words and good wishes.
ReplyDelete