Strangers by A.L. Parks
Genre: Romantic suspense
Release date: September 6th, 2013
Bereaved bride Abby Clark is tortured by visions of the fatal crash that took her fiancée on their wedding day. She succumbs to a dark existence where loneliness, sadness and nightmares dwell; until handsome, brooding Bryce Holden walks through the door of her favorite coffee shop, wearing the same cloak of despair and grief. Abby discovers in Bryce someone who understands love and loss, and soon their close friendship grows into a deep love. But ghosts make strange bedfellows, and Abby is forced to battle the tormenting images that continue to haunt her, and confront the ethereal presence of a beloved wife to protect her future with Bryce.
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Guest Post
“A Novel Is Born”
Ask a writer where they got the idea for their book, and you
are likely to get a different answer from every single one. A dream, a ride on
a train, a song on the radio…the list is endless. As endless as the creative possibilities
that drive us to continue to write. The storyline may have morphed and changed
in varying degrees throughout the writing process as well, changing from the
original thoughts that first blossomed in the writer’s mind. It could be slight
changes as the writer learned more about the characters, or drastic changes as
the story took on a life of its own with every keystroke.
Strangers began as
a prompt. I was participating in a prompt challenge at the beginning of the
year, where I was given a new prompt every day, and had to write the first 300
words to a story based on that prompt.
Sadly, I have no idea what the prompt was that inspired Strangers. I assume it was something to
do with Valentine’s Day, or perhaps tragic loss.
Something about Bryce and Abby would not let go, though. I
ended up extending their story to about 3,000 words. It was not the only prompt
I did that with, and I proudly have the start of some really interesting
stories that I hope to return to someday. It is so wonderful to have a starting
point sometimes; a few words that you have already written that may call to you
again in the future. Or maybe they won’t…maybe they will just be fun little
starts that I can return to and read with fondness. Who knows?
But Bryce and Abby…they just kept sneaking back into my
mind, tapping me on the shoulder, and reminding me that they still had more to
say. So, I listened, and extended their story to 50,000 words. Through
rewrites, and edits, and more edits, I finally got it to about 54,000 words,
and thought I was done.
HA!
I knew Abby and Bryce’s love story was one that others would
like to discover, so I started on the road to publication. Someday I will write
a blog about the rollercoaster ride of self-publishing, but I am still on the
rollercoaster at the moment. It’s moving slowly up a huge hill, almost to the
top. The anxiety is killing me. I am excited, thrilled, scared out of my mind,
and my chest most days feels like my heart is about to thump right through my
ribs, and run for the hills. I worry about what my face is going to look like
when I see the stupid picture they take when you are just starting down the
hill. You know the one? Where you either look like you are excited for the
adventure, or going to throw up on the people in front of you? Yeah…next
Saturday morning, the day after Strangers
is released; I will post my rollercoaster picture. Hopefully, I will not have
to apologize to anyone for puke in their hair.
The next step to publication was to send Strangers to my editor to tear apart.
Now, when you send your manuscript to an editor, you are basically telling them
that this is perfect. The story could not be better written than it is right at
this very moment!
Then you get your MS back from your editor, and discover how
very wrong you are…it is humbling, to say the least. After you go through their
remarks, edits, input, and suggestions, well, you cuss a lot. You yell at them
in the comfort and safety of your home, where they will not hear you, and tell
them they are full of shit, and obviously overpaid for their services. Then you
walk away for a few hours, come back more calm, and re-read their remarks,
edits, inputs, and suggestions. And you realize that they are not overpaid,
they want your book to be a success – and that they are correct in their
assessments.
Yes, that is pretty much exactly what I did. Then I sat down
and added about 20,000 more words to Strangers,
sent it back out, and am happy with the story I have put together. Abby and
Bryce have settled into lounge chairs in my mind, are keeping relatively quiet,
and drinking mimosas. I am trying to convince Jake and Eve, the characters from
my new book, The Return, to speak up
and help me out with a few issues in their story. So far, they are content to
tell me it’s time to tell their story, but are teasing me about how they want
it introduced…
Characters…they are sometimes a flaky bunch.
I have wondered, though, what the original prompt was that
first gave birth to Abby and Bryce. It would be fun to see what that prompt
would inspire today.
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About A.L. Parks
I am just starting in this crazy world of writing and publishing. Lately, however, there are just too many characters in my head begging me to tell their stories...so here I am. Writing, publishing, sharing and, hopefully, entertaining. I love a great love story, but really want to tell a story with an edge; characters who are imperfect, trying to find the perfect love.
Strangers is my debut novel, and will be released on September 6, 2013. I will have another novel, The Return, with an anticipated release date of November 1, 2013. I have been focusing mainly on short stories, but have felt a need to get to know the characters more in-depth, and in turn, tell more of their stories. I have some fairly interesting people living in my head!
I have my own blog (www.parkingitrighthere.blogspot.com), where I review books, and discuss my new projects. I also contribute to www.SheReadsNewAdult.com, dedicated to the emerging new adult romance genre. We have great fun over there...be sure to check us out!
I currently live outside Washington D.C. with my family. We spend many hours exploring the area and the deep history of this beautiful land, while experiencing as much of life's wonders as possible. I have traveled abroad and lived in almost every corner of the U.S., and hope my writing reflects various cultures, people, and places.
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