How it all began

"What’s this?" I wondered, lifting an envelope from my pillow. It was Valentine’s Day, and I suspected that my husband, Jesse, had created a surprise. As I read the letter, I quickly recognized that it was a fictional pen pal situation.

By the next day, I had penned my reply and waited for Jesse to find it. With each response, the story grew. Soon, other characters emerged and corresponded with each other, taking the plot to places neither of us expected. In less than a month, a daring storyline had leapt from our hands. We tied up the bundle with twine. What fun!

There was one scene, however, that kept nagging at my imagination. It was mentioned in the letters, but only in passing. I could see it vividly in my mind: two men struggling through the woods in a storm. I loved the concept of that scene. I wanted full cinematic detail. I sat down at my laptop, and the words flowed out. Then another scene began to percolate. Before I knew it, I found myself writing a novel. (Completely out of order, mind you. I wrote all my favorite scenes first. Then my husband and I had the mind-bending challenge of filling in the plot holes to make the scenes work together, which was exhilarating!)

What emerged in the end was a novel that was both raw and redemptive: willing to plunge into frightening or intense places in the mind, yet refusing to leave those places without seeking healing.

When I finished the book, I gave a great sigh. I was done!

But I kept wondering what my beloved characters would do once the Civil War started three years later. I certainly wasn't going to write another book. But I couldn't help typing out a paragraph or two...

I also had a document filled with sections I had to cut from the first book: backstories from minor characters and details about the past that weren't pertinent to furthering the plot. I realized that the story Jesse and I created was bigger than one book, and that Between the Shards needed a prequel and a sequel.

So, from that one letter on my pillow, a trilogy is sprouting up. And, just like the first plot, I can't wait to see where the next two books lead.