Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.
E.L. Doctorow
What kind of writer pens a sequel to a novel that was a bit slow out of the gate? A stubborn one, or an inspired one.
As usual, there’s a story behind the story. First, a great book, and inspiring real-life tales of courage, loss, and sacrifice prompted me to write LifeLine, historical fiction set in WW2. That genre was outside the lane of expectations from what I’d done in the past, and readers reacted accordingly—at first.
Then, I read another great book, set in London in the ashes of WW2, with what might have been the most compelling opening sentence I’ve ever seen in a novel (with apologies to Charles Dickens). Hence, the creative spark driving A Bloodline of Spies.
Some of the characters in LifeLine play major parts in A Bloodline of Spies, where they’re joined by new faces whose arcs span the years before, during, and after the war. Theirs is war by different means yet still waged in ways that exact a price from families caught in its crossfire.
I have two kickoff events scheduled for May: one the official launch event early in the month at Story & Song, the other a book signing at The Book Loft later in May. Stay tuned to fill in dates and details as we get closer.
Three siblings inherit an Amelia Island ocean-front parcel worth a fortune. A feud erupts, one of them turns up dead in a shallow grave. A greedy developer, Russian money launderers. Film at 11.
Was writing this novel tilting at windmills? Time will tell.
Lifted a plot element from this book to help one character
do away with another in DROWNING
