Starting a New Book

It’s time to start a new book which means I have to create a hero and heroine with problems and make them fall in love in two hundred pages.
            I’ve had the idea for a while. It’s a story about a man who likes being single and intends to stay that way, and a widowed single mom of two little girls who’s just trying to get by. He’s restoring an old house that was divided into a duplex. She needs a free place to stay while she looks for a job. I knew being around the heroine and her daughters would soften up the hero and make him realize what he really wanted was a family of his own. But I didn’t have a clue how I’d make that happen. Getting an idea is the easy part. Working out all the millions of details is something else entirely.
            First thing I have to do is figure out who He and She are. What do they look like? Tall or short? Is their hair blond or brunette? Blue eyes or brown? Dimples or crooked grin? What are their personalities and their quirks? Are they shy, charming, distant?  Sigh. It’s a long list.
            Next up - their problems. Why doesn’t the hero want to be married? What happened in his past that made him that way? Is he afraid of commitment? Why? Did he have a father who was multi-married? A bad first marriage? What kind of childhood did he have? Did he have siblings? How many? What’s his greatest fear? Why? How can he overcome it?
            The heroine gets her list of questions too. Why is she a widow? What happened? What’s her family background? Was it a good marriage, bad? What happened that she’s jobless? And don’t forget the little girls, they need personalities too.
            Are you overwhelmed yet?
            The only way to tell a character’s story is to know them completely – inside and out. So well that you could throw them into any situation and you’d know exactly how they will react and what they will say.
            All this set up and background takes nearly as much time as the actual writing. And I haven’t even tackled the plot yet. That’s another round of decisions. What happens when they first meet? What keeps them from falling in love on the spot? How can their problems keep them apart? How can they each help the other to solve their problem? What’s their spiritual journey?
       Okay, I’m worn out just thinking about what I have to decide. Preparing to write a book can be daunting. Each choice you make will lead you down a different path and you have to figure out which path will serve your story best.
     Seriously, as much work as it takes to create a story, writers love it. Coming up with all the answers is fun for us. And when the combination works it’s exhilarating.

 

     You should try it?

           

Interview is Posted

I was interviewed recetnly by Family Fiction. If you'd like to learn a little more about Rekindled Romance I invite you to check it out.  Just click on the link below. There's also a link to another interveiw I gave.

http://www.familyfiction.com/authors/lorraine-beatty/features/q-a-lorraine-beatty/

www.fliterary.com

Welcome to Do Over, Mississippi

April is the debut month of my first series with Love Inspired books. Rekindled Romance is book number one in the series set in a fictional small town in south central Mississippi called Do Over. Dover for short. My inspiration for came from Canton, Mississippi, a city north of Jackson famous for its Fall Flea Market and Victorian Christmas lights display.

            The first three books focus on the Durrant siblings - two brothers and a sister. Each of them grew up in Dover but left to pursue their careers. One by one they return home and find a second chance at love – a Do Over.  Their father owns the local hardware store and their mother is active in local politics and civic organizations. The family also operates a ministry called Handy Works, that voluntarily do home repairs, yard maintenance, and other work for needy residents.
            Oldest brother, Matt Durrant, is raising his two children after cancer took his wife. When his former fiancé moves in next door Matt’s old resentments flare. Years ago she dumped him without warning and broke his heart. He’s not eager to renew the old friendship. His kids however, think Shelby Russell is way cool and when she has to step in as their babysitter Matt struggles to cope. Neither Matt or Shelby can forget their old feelings, but the obstacles between them might be too large to overcome.

            Book Two – Restoring His Heart, will be released in June of this year and tells the story of the baby sister, Laura Durrant, a building contractor and restorationist who must teach a rich adventure to repair the historic town gazebo he accidently destroyed. But Adam Holbrook isn’t what she expected and that complicates her life.

            I hope you come and visit the Durrant’s and spend some time in Do Over where the town motto is Faith Family and Friends.

Waiting

Writing is a waiting game. Sometimes you wait and wait and work and work and nothing happens. Then one day, without warning the sky opens up and blessing fall from heaven bringing you to your knees in grateful praise of God’s goodness.
            Eight years ago I decided to start writing again after a five year hiatus. I was determined to see it thru to the end – publication or bust. There were many times when ‘bust’ looked like a great idea. But thanks to friends and family who kept me encouraged I soldiered on and at this moment in my life I’m shoulder deep in blessings I can hardly comprehend.
            Last November Beautiful Dreamer, my first book in 15 years was released from Heartsong Presents. Then news arrived that Love Inspired had bought the first of my Dover, Mississippi series. Two weeks after I turned in the edits on Rekindled Romance, my editor bought the second book in the series, Restoring His Heart. Somewhere in between that time I sold a novella to Barbour.
            Then after submitting a proposal for two more Dover books, I get the call from my agent that they not only bought those two but offered me a three book contract. I was so stunned my agent had to tell me twice.
            Now if you’d read this far and you’re still waiting for the call I know this sounds like boasting. But what I want you to see is that you never know when the tide will turn. I can list a hundred times when I was ready to quit. I even threatened to walk out of a conference when it seemed like the doors to publishing were slamming in my face.
            God’s timing is perfect but it’s really, really hard to sit in his waiting room when time is dragging on and others seem to be leap-frogging over you.
            I urge you to hang on a little longer. Persevere. My story turned around in an instant. I was happy with one book sold. Now, in the span of a year and a half I’ve sold seven books. Only God can do that.
            So don't lose heart. Work hard, hang in there and give all your efforts to Him, and then let it go, step back and wait and see what he had in store.