I’m getting very close to having An Illusion of Trust ready for publication. I expect to send the manuscript to my copy editor next week. I think it’s pretty clean already, so I don’t anticipate many changes. Soon it will be ready for formatting—well, there’s the matter of a cover too. I’m on the third design now, but I think this is going to be the one.
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about how to describe this book. I have an official description on the fledgling book page, and that tells you, in general, what happens, but what it’s about is more than that. What it’s about is what everything I write is about—love. And I don’t necessarily mean romantic love. Only some of my novels and stories contain those sorts of relationships, but all of them are about the universal human search for acceptance, the essence of love.
When it comes to pitching my novels, I always think how much easier it would be if I wrote mysteries, or thrillers, or horror, or fantasy—anything easier to describe than mine. I write about people. I’ve always thought that if I’d gone to college I would have majored in sociology in some form. I’m curious about the form and function of human society.
Those who know me in real life would probably find that statement curious, hilarious even, since I’m not particularly sociable. I’m just more at ease observing than participating. Possibly many writers are the same. But everyone wants to be accepted. We all search for our place where we feel loved and safe, where we belong, where we matter. And always that search begins within. In that sense every story I write will be the same.
The trick is to make those stories fascinating.
Linda Cassidy Lewis 
Great post, Linda. I identify.
I love people, but mostly in small doses. I did major in sociology. And my writing is about how the intersection of society and individual plays out. What we’ve been taught about ourselves and our social world can make it hard to know ourselves and accept who we can / must become. (That enormous mouthful shows that I also have trouble condensing my stories’ essence into a thimble.) When my characters eventually find their way from the end of their rope to a better place, it’s because they’ve found the courage to embrace the grace of second (or 42nd) chances and some form of love they didn’t expect.
It’s hard to summarize (without sounding trite) stories that reflect universal longing in individual, deeply felt ways. I wish there was a bookshelf category for this so people could find stories like yours as easily at they can find their next romance / mystery / thriller. Until then, I’m glad you keep writing the stories most meaningful to you. They are the stories most meaningful to many of us.
I enjoyed Brevity of Roses greatly and am looking forward to Illusion!
LikeLike
Thank you, Shelly. 🙂
I appreciate your thoughtful response to my post. You said more eloquently what I tried to say. I’m looking forward to reading your novels.
LikeLike
Hmm? Ok, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a surprise or two hidden under that sleeve of yours… Horror, perhaps? Perhaps not. How about a whodunit or a thriller? I’ll have to write this date down and check back in another decade or so to see whether this held true or not. 🙂
In the meantime, I’m getting very excited to see this newest release of yours. Godspeed, my friend.
-Jimmy
LikeLike
Ha ha, Jimmy, the first novel I ever wrote was horror. It still haunts me. 😉
LikeLike
I hope you mean it haunts you because it was very frightening and not because it was badly written. Now I’m curious. What happened to it? If it never saw the light of day, it sounds like the perfect piece to collaborate on. Lewis and Garcia has a certain ring to it, much like King and Straub. Don’t you think? 😉
LikeLike
It haunts me, Jimmy, because I feel like I gave life to those people and then left them hanging (not literally storywise). Occasionally, I take it out and confirm to myself that I’m a better writer now. I’ve toyed with taking out the supernatural element and salvaging it as a contemporary. But I think it works as a horror.
Collaborate???? LOL 😀 or rather mwahhahaha Spoken like an innocent, AKA someone who’s never tried to work with me.
LikeLike
*laughs* I’ve never read it and agree that it works better as horror, too. 🙂 I’ve never tried working with anyone on anything before either. See, it’s perfect! Hmm? Okay. Perhaps we’ll wait until we’re both big shots in the industry. Then we’ll do it!
Well, what do you think of this weather? I hate the summer heat, so I rarely complain during this time of year. We are getting some sun today, so that’s kind of nice. Have a great finish to the weekend. Talk soon.
-Jimmy
LikeLike
Sun again today, Jimmie. I guess, this is the time to clean up my flower beds.
You know, I guess I never thought much about WHY writers collaborate. Hmmmm.
LikeLike