A Star is Born

When people find out I’m a writer, the first question they usually ask is, “How do you come up with ideas?” You may have heard the saying Write What You Know, and there is some truth to that. However, if people only wrote what they knew, we wouldn’t have a Lord of the Rings series or Harry Potter or sci-fi or… you get the idea. 

Sadly, I’m not as creative as J.R. Tolkien or J.K. Rowling (maybe I need to change my pen name—J.B. Sienes). Whatever one writes, there has to be some level of reality—even in fantasy or sci-fi or else no one would believe the story. The true is same for contemporary fiction. I started writing books when I was twelve. Thankfully, my skills have improved since then. But it wasn’t until I lived through some tragedies that any ideas worthy of a story came to light.

Surrendered, to be released on April 30th, was actually the third completed novel in the series of three. However, it will be the first to be published. But the main character, Tess O’Shay, was conceived in the first (Providence) which will be the third in the series to be published (confusing, I know.) Back to Tess—she had only one scene in Providence but my critique group fell in love with her and thought I should expand her character. However, that novel went through two full re-writes and Tess’s character became obsolete.

But I couldn’t get her out of my mind—and heart.

It was a few years later, after I’d completed my second novel (Illusions—which is scheduled to be released in May 2020) that I seriously gave thought to Tess having her own story. Her inner conflict was born in Providence, but that was the only kernel I had before fleshing her out. Tess loves her family above all (although the opening line may sound like a contradiction) and uses a quick wit and even quicker temper to keep anyone not in her inner circle at arm’s length.

Her late mother was of Italian descent, which explains why her Irish family owns an Italian restaurant—Bella Cucina. Both her mother and father were excellent cooks, hoping to pass on the family business to their elder daughter—Tess. However, Tess can’t cook. As her friend, Julia, likes to point out, she doesn’t have a culinary bone in her body. But that doesn’t keep her from the family business where she hides away from the life she’s meant to live. 

Katie O’Shay, Tess’s 16-year-old sister, was the second character to come to life. I like Katie. She’s got Tess’s spunk, but wavers between the mind of a young woman and a grieving child. She’s a miniature Tess without the fear of what ifs holding her back.

Tess’s antagonist (literally) is Jake Holland, a man of some mystery who was hired to work at the restaurant a year prior to the opening of the novel. Jake has his own battle scars (what fun would the novel be otherwise?) and finds himself bound to the restaurant for reasons only he knows—and is not willing to reveal. I had a more difficult time with Jake, as I don’t think like a man. His dialogue was a little challenging until I found the perfect role model—Gibbs from N.C.I.S. At the time I was working on Surrendered, I was a client of literary agent and editor, Karen Ball. Karen was a big N.C.I.S. fan. She read one of Jake’s scenes and said, “I love this scene—it’s beautifully written. But Gibbs would never talk like that.” Those words put me back on course and stayed in my head every time I wrote Jake’s dialogue or interior thoughts. 

There are, of course, a cast of side characters—Julia, Maris, Carol, Max, Stephanie—each with their own stories that play a part in the theme of Surrendered. My hope and prayer is that you fall in love with them as much as I have.

Share this...

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter