This month we’re talking
about where writers get their ideas. Every story is born from bits and pieces lifted
from life or conjured by the imagination, but my second book, A Man Like That, followed a different
path from my first because it’s a sequel.
When I plotted Harvest of Dreams, I had no thought of
writing a sequel. I was thrilled just to write a complete book that made sense
and I loved, but about halfway through, something surprising happened. Two of
the secondary characters grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go. Their
romance appeared to resolve at the end of the first book, but by then I knew
them too well to be fooled into thinking their relationship could ever go that
smoothly. I had to write their story to find out what happened next.
Many experienced writers
have written helpful articles about how to plan a sequel or series—how to construct
charts to keep the details straight and plan an overall story arc. In my
ignorance, I did none of those things. As it turned out, I didn’t need to.
Jessy and Morgan had become so alive to me I had no trouble picking their story
up where it left off at the end of Harvest
of Dreams.
Two things made that easier.
First, I started A Man Like That
immediately after finishing the first book when every element of the story was
still fresh in my mind, and second, I took my characters into a completely
different setting so very few details had to be carried over. A couple of the
main characters from the first book appeared at the beginning of A Man Like That and again at the end to
help tie the stories together, but the main body of this book belongs strictly
to Jessy and Morgan.
The setting I chose for A Man Like That is also a bit
unorthodox. You don’t see many historical romances set the Ozark Mountains in
southern Missouri
Here’s the blurb for A Man Like That:
Jessamine Randall, fearless crusader
and champion of the downtrodden, is not a woman to be left waiting at the
altar. When her fiancé disappears hours
before their wedding, the ever-resourceful Jessy hatches a plan to track him down
and bring him back where he belongs.
Morgan Bingham knows he’s no
good. Never has been. Never will be. A former outlaw is no fit husband for the
only daughter of the town judge, despite her misguided notions. Besides, after ten long years away from home,
it’s time to return to the hills and face his demons.
Ill-prepared, but armed with
unshakeable certainty, Jessy follows Morgan to his family’s cabin deep in the Ozark Mountains where she’s sucked into a whirlpool of
deep secrets and old hatreds. While she
struggles to bring light and hope into their dark lives, her greatest challenge
is Morgan himself. Can she ever
convince him he’s worthy of love?
Today I’m giving away a free
print copy of A Man Like That to one
lucky commenter. If you’d like to be
entered in the drawing, just include your email address in your comment.
Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com
