Another Book
When we moved to North Carolina I had begun a new book. But life changed. Our darling daughter became sick. Very sick. And we lost her in 2022. “Tragedy” does not begin to describe what happened to her, her son, her husband, her friends, and to us. All of us had to relearn living. And our greatest concern was for Elijah, her adorable 5 year-old son, now lost without his mom.
The book sat and sat, and was visited but not expanded much. I would re-read parts as a way of doing something creative in my life the year Dawn was sick and living with us. It gave me something to do. Now, years after being here, and years after writing that first draft, I am finally ready to publish it. It’s been “edited.” But it still needs a cover and a final format.
When I published Flora’s Saga in 2021, the third book in The Vanessa Trilogy, I learned a hard lesson - stick to what you know. I should have stayed with Sheridan Books to publish it, not transitioned to the “new guy.” The new guy was a disappointment to say the least. Fast - yes! Professional - no! Problematic - very! Anyway, I am returning to Sheridan Books to publish this one. And I will say to anyone who wishes to be an “Indie Publisher” - be careful who you chose to work with and vet them carefully.
The Between Years - The Story of Yvette and Dominique - a saga about the twin sisters who come to live with Flora and her husband - will be a longer book than the others. It was not intended to be longer, but by its essential nature it had to be. It incorporates two love stories. I jokingly tell friends that means twice as much of everything - twice as much drama and twice as many love scenes (although that is probably not so). Writing it made me appreciate what craft it must take to write books that incorporate the lives of multiple women and intertwine them - as in Terry McMillan’s Waiting to Exhale, that was written decades ago and later made into a movie. Each woman had her own issues with finding love. In her book, the character that I least expected to have a successful relationship was the one who did. Surprise! Surprise! At least that was the movie version! The book ended differently. And for the record - my book is nothing like hers. My characters are nothing like hers. God has blessed me with my own imagination. And for the record - Terry is in a class by herself, as is evident in all of her fiction.
When you write a romance novel everyone expects a happy ending. And “they” (the industry) expect a certain format. The industry format of a romance novel is very specific. How it must flow and how the ending must evolve. That’s very hard for me to do. And that is why book one of the trilogy, Vanessa - a Love Story, is not technically a romance novel. But as I think about how The Between Years - The Story of Yvette and Dominique has evolved, it just may make the cut. I had not planned for it to fit the pattern. But as my favorite interviewer, V. Helena of The Writer’s Haven Show always says, “It evolved organically.” And that is what good writing should be. One should not have to over-plan it; to force it; to think through the climax and resolution beforehand. What fun is that? What happens if you cannot “make it happen”? I like to be surprised myself. That’s why I like for my characters to tell the story. And in The Between Years… the bulk of the story is transmitted through the eyes of the four new characters you will meet.
You will see The Between Years… before the end of 2025, as I am planning to release it in the fall. Wish me luck! Stay posted! And if you live in North Carolina, you’re welcome to come to my opening and book party in the Raleigh area. Watch for details or contact me: sandralynnlegacies@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (540)602-9597.