What kind of stories do you write? This is a question I get asked often. So to help new readers learn more about me, I thought I’d write a blog post about my writing.
First off, I am a Women’s Fiction and Romance author. All of my stories are fiction but laced with real-life experiences. I write about difficult topics like divorce, abuse, addiction, death, and abortion, to name a few. The range of subjects continues to grow by leaps and bounds.
Given the aforementioned topics, you can expect to cry, get angry, laugh, and feel relief at the end of the story. All of these emotions are part of life, so I wanted to include them in my stories. And because of the sometimes controversial topics, my stories will not be for everyone. I feel it is important to divulge this information to readers so they know exactly what to expect from me. There’s a very real chance that some of you are not going to like what a character does in my books, but try to remember: nobody is perfect in real-life or fiction, and everyone can be redeemed if they put in the hard work, no matter how checkered their past.
I have learned over the last year and half that writers are constantly changing and evolving in their craft. I am not a lifelong writer. I did not start crafting my first story the second a pencil was placed in my hand. I was struck by the writing bug much later in life. I have always loved reading, but I never wanted to be an author. So imagine how overwhelming all of this has been for me. It’s been quite an unusual experience, to say the least. But I’m loving every word and every minute I spend creating a new story.
During my first year of writing, it didn’t take long for my focus to turn towards real-life women I have crossed paths with over the years and the sometimes difficult roads they’ve traveled. I have talked with hundreds of different women over the last twenty-five years. I’ve also learned that everywhere I go, there’s a story to be told. In the grocery store, homeschooling groups, military community, church, and online communities. And many of these stories need to be told to bring awareness to difficult topics. By this, I can love women through my writing.
I am a mother of four girls and three boys. I know there are many like me, and when I think about the difficulties women encounter with sexism, double-standards, and in general not being equals to their male counterparts, I want to break the barriers. I want to bring light to what goes on today and in different cultures. But I also write about relationships in general. The struggles a couple may go through, like dealing with an ex-wife or ex-husband. Or when scars of the past or a traumatic event keep a person from embracing love.
Now it seems like all the conversations I’ve had over the last decade are resurfacing at a rapid rate. I race to get the words onto paper so I don’t forget them. Once they’re laid out, a new story is been born.
In my debut novel, The One That Matters, I write about Marie Ramsey, a divorced mother of two. Marie married at the young age of nineteen after getting pregnant with her daughter, Lexi. Despite her situation, she endeavored to make her marriage work, even though she didn’t love her husband. In her Latino family, it was expected that she marry the man who got her pregnant. That expectation may seem dated, or some may think it does not go on in today’s modern culture. But it is still common in a vast number of cultures, not just in Hispanic communities.
Marie’s ex-husband verbally abused her, and after he cheated and left her and their children, Marie felt worthless. She felt like a failure. She didn’t believe she deserved real love. And then when she ventured out of the protective walls of her home, she dipped her toe into the dating pool and made some poor choices along the way. But she righted her wrongs and allowed love into her life as she transformed into a strong woman–one who loved and respected herself. She is a melding of dozens of women I have had the great honor of knowing who have walked similar paths as Marie. Naturally, Marie’s story is not an exact retelling; it’s fiction. But I have taken snippets here and there of each woman’s journey and shaped it into Marie’s story.
So what kind of stories do I write? I write stories that hit you hard. They’ll make you cry. They may make you uncomfortable. But in the end, my heroines get their happily ever after…for now anyway. I can’t begin to predict how my writing will evolve.
In my next post, I will introduce you to Kate Valencia, the main character of Redemptive Love. In my first novella, Kate feels the burns of her choices when she crosses paths with her high school sweetheart, Joseph Guerrero. What she thought was the beginnings of a second chance with Joseph turns into her standing her ground against his double-standards that have been carried down from centuries of expectations in their Latin culture.
Looking forward to reading your book. My sister Katherine Linder sent it to me received it yesterday.