Country singers, Brooks & Dunn, sang a song called, "Put a Girl In It." Its basic message implies a guy can own tons of toys, yet his life is not complete without a gal in it.
For the purpose of this post, let's substitute the word, girl, for child. There are many couples who yearn for children, and feel their lives are not whole without at least one child. Others consider children a curse.
Readers' tastes also follow on differing lines. Some enjoy reading books, no matter the genre, as long as a child is mentioned somewhere. Others feel children just get in the way of a story. I'd say, that depends on the story. Throwing a child character into the mix, with no real purpose, doesn't make sense. Every character, no matter what age, should move a plot forward in some way.
Then we come to authors, like yours truly. I usually write romances and thrillers, but happened to fall in love with a stock photo of a baby. Suddenly I was inspired to write a story wrapped around a child.
Hailey's Chance: Will Baby Make 3? is about a couple happily expecting their first child. Their unmarried neighbor is also pregnant, but is in no way happy about her situation.
When a natural disaster strikes their small town, the couple's hopes and dreams fly out the window. Then their neighbor offers a startling suggestion. The wife is leery about taking her up on the offer, yet still can't help hoping somehow she can still have a child in her life.
Hailey's Chance: Will Baby Make 3? is actually the prequel to my previously released Christmas novella sweet romance, called Christmas Carol, and is set in the same fictional small town of Deerview, Wisconsin. I should mention that while writing Christmas Carol, I happened to fall in love with Deerview. I'm hoping to write more stories about that town's inhabitants. This particular one is not a romance per se, but a blend. I'm calling it a Christian Women's Fiction Gentle Read, for want of a better description. If you click on the Amazon link, you'll get a chance to look inside the book's beginning and decide for yourself what to call it.
Anyone care to share how or why you wrote or read a certain book?
Anyone care to share how or why you wrote or read a certain book?
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Experience the diversity and versatility of Morgan Mandel. Romantic Comedies: Her Handyman, its sequel, A Perfect Angel, standalone reality show romance; Girl of My Dreams. Thriller: Forever Young: Blessing or Curse,its sequel: the Blessing or Curse Collection. Romantic suspense: Killer Career. Mystery:Two Wrongs. Short and Sweet Romance: Christmas Carol.
Christian Women's Fiction: Hailey's Chance: Will Baby Make 3? Twitter:@MorganMandel Websites: Morgan Mandel.Com Morgan Does Chick Lit.Com. |
Will baby make 3? I'd love to find out, so you have a reader already.
ReplyDeleteTypically, I write stories to detour around life's roadblocks, give people in seemingly hopeless situations hope, and/or promote family as a rewarding way of life (although that doesn't always work out in the anticipated way). One book, for example, has domestic violence as a sub-plot. While the ending isn't altogether happily-ever-after, it is realistic and positive. I also like to write stories featuring gutsy characters with grit and determination, but not all who populate a story can be like that. Otherwise, who will rescue the damsel in distress. Or who will the damsel [protagonist] rescue. :-)
Yes we authors do like to make life difficult for our characters and see how they rise above situations!
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ReplyDeleteIn Mythikas Island, the four girls ponder their future as they navigate the survival situation. Some are for having children, some against. I wanted to explore both sides of the thematic argument. I know women who never had children and don't regret it. Being a mom was the best thing that ever happened to me, especially as I was told at 16 that it was unlikely I'd have them. I loved every moment of motherhood. As a thematic argument, there are so many topics to explore when it comes to parenthood. In the television series Extant this summer, the main character has both an Android child and an alien child.I enjoyed the unique angle.
ReplyDeleteYes, children can be a blessing or curse, depending on how you look at it.
DeleteIn my latest dilemma about adding a child to my book, I did the most cowardly thing, I decided to write the second book in another series. I'm ashamed of myself. But you can't turn your back when something is obviously calling to you, can you?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, a lot of my writer friends said they probably wouldn't read a book where there was a child as a main character. Others disagreed. I guess you have to go where you feel most comfortable.