On Second Glance

As it states in my blog header, this is a blog (albeit a weekly blog) on our family adventures and on the life of a writer. Today I'm concentrating on the writing side and thought I would send out a little preview of what's coming down the pipeline.

After spending spring break last year in the mountains near Ashville, NC, and visiting the Biltmore Estate, I couldn't resist using the setting in a novel. With dark, shadowy mountains, forests of rhododendron, and romantic hideaways hidden away off the beaten track, it was perfect for romantic suspense. I didn't have any story ideas then, but suddenly I've been struck by plot points that want to be strung together, bits of dialogue that need to be recorded, and characters that invade my sleep. Maybe all of this sounds strange to you, but as any writer knows, when that happens, you know you've hit pay dirt and you drop everything else to follow the Muse. So after starting what I thought would be a simple book outline on a piece of scratch paper a day ago, I now have four full pages of scrunched, hand-written notes covering every detail of the story. Talk about inspiration; I've never had a book come so easily. So what next? Time to flesh out my characters and get all this onto the laptop before my momentum fades. Say goodbye to house cleaning (as if I was doing that anyway), and hello to fast food. The kids will have to do their homework next to me at the desk while I give helpful hints like, "Read the directions again," or, "I think you're smart enough to figure that out yourself." Erik might feel neglected, but come on, with basketball season gearing up, he won't even notice my obsession. As long as the laundry gets done and we don't run out of toilet paper, I think we're good. Oh yeah, but I still have that other novel I'm finishing the editing on. Well, I guess it will still be done within the next couple weeks, but I'm already resenting it for stealing time away from what I'd rather be doing. I suppose I should shut up and be grateful for multiple book ideas before I get cursed with writer's block. Such is the writer's life this week. Anyway, here's a picture of the Biltmore Estate, my inspiration (but not the house in my novel), and a short description, very gothic sounding.

On Second Glance (romantic suspense): When Sara first meets Collin Everheart, the attractive architect is everything she could hope for. But when he proposes after one week, the shock pushes her away. Not willing to be put off, Collin Convinces Sara to visit Everheart Estate, the family home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. There she meets his siblings, Kurt and Caroline, and sees the privileged life she could lead as the future Mrs. Everheart. With Caroline's instant friendship and the opportunity to make her dreams come true, Sara starts making wedding plans. But all is not well. Caroline suffers an unexplained malady, Sara's veil disappears, two prized thoroughbreds are inexplicably sold, and Kurt coldly suggests that Sara return to her former life. Unwilling to leave Collin, Sara becomes watchful and soon fears Kurt is involved in something sinister. His insomnia does not explain the bumps in the night or his secretive meetings in the guest house. He controls Caroline's every move, and when Collin is called off to a distant business site, Sara fears Kurt will use his control to remove her. Caught between her love for one brother and her fear of the other, Sara's remaining days at Everheart Estate are tainted with truths she never could have guessed at first glance.