The Story Behind the Story with Author Nick Doyle of Saint John, NB, Canada.

 

We have another new author to the Scribbler for you to meet today. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Nick at the GMRDBook Fair this spring and he has kindly accepted our invitation to be our guest this week 

Read on, my friends.

 

 

Nick Doyle is an author from Saint John, New Brunswick. He’s a securities lawyer by trade and has a background in Greek and Roman history and culture. He likes to use that background to create engaging, mythologically dense stories with a dark twist. His preferred genre is dark fantasy and has two ongoing dark fantasy series. His latest foray into fantasy, Celestial City 66, is the first of a planned trilogy with the second due out Fall 2026.

 

Title: Celestial City 66

 

Synopsis:

In a world swarming with monsters and the decay of a ruined civilization, the small settlement of Mist has survived in relative tranquility. That is, until a terrible creature breaks through Mist’s walls and shatters the peace by infecting the populace with a deadly poison. With no available cure, two youths, Remus Quinn and Claudia Tarr embark on a perilous journey to the north in a desperate attempt to reach the mythical Celestial City 66, the last living city, and the only place medicine able to heal their people might exist.

 

The path north leads through a multitude of dangers from horrifying creatures littering the countryside to bloodthirsty warlords and their gangs of killers. Beliefs are challenged and hands are bloodied all without knowing if the fabled Celestial City 66 truly waits for them at the end of their journey.

 

 

The Story Behind the Story:

The initial idea for Celestial City 66 came from a short story I wrote while I was in law school. While adapting short stories into novels isn’t odd for many writers, it is for me. I’m terrible at writing them and usually avoid doing so. This short story was about a creature that derived elements from Eastern Orthodoxy mythology and some hapless fools that wandered into its cave. It wasn’t very good, but I started imagining what the world outside the cave would be, and this led to me creating a fun post-apocalyptic backdrop. An adapted version of the short story is actually a key chapter in the book and marks the end of its second act.

 

 

Facebook: Please go HERE. 

Scribbler: What has been the most enjoyable about your writing journey, Nick? The least enjoyable?

Nick: Easily my favourite aspect of the writing journey is the weeks following a release where I get to finally see reactions from readers about the stories I’ve had locked up to myself for so long. For the actual craft of writing, I love when I can click with a character so much that I don’t need to consider what they would or should do. They simply act in the story according to their internal beliefs. I have a good number of characters under my belt, and those ones are precious.

The least enjoyable part is the grind. Sometimes things don’t gel, or you’re not feeling the scene. Pushing through that and forcing words on the page even without the muse is always the hardest part for me.





An Excerpt from: Celestial City 66

 

Remus emerged into a different world. Rolling green fog smelling of lavender and cooked meat rose up into the air. It wasn’t coming from the lake. The unnatural vapor wafted from where the gate once stood. Remus pierced the fog and ran to confront the beast. 

He spotted its monstrous shadow through the fog near the chapel. Its arms flung wild, snapping up fearless, stupid men who tried to challenge it in the hope of proving their strength to the Messiah. As Remus got closer, fleshy tubes had sprouted from the sides of the monster, pumping out the green gas that filled the town. Two hunters were stabbing its thick fat but hadn’t pierced its hide. Remus ran to join them. He backed off just as the monster’s left hand smashed one to a paste and swiftly grabbed the other. 

Remus yelled at the top of his lungs and swung the Maneater as he rushed forward. The serrated blade hit the monster’s left arm near the joint and left a long cut. From the beast’s mouth came the pig cry again, spewing equal parts drool and gore that pooled in front of it. Remus followed up his attack, forcing the monster to drop the hunter in its clutches. The blue light of the dangling eye focused on Remus. It reared its other hand back and sent him flying against the wall of the chapel. 

Remus gasped as the air flew from his lungs on impact. Never once did he allow his spear to fall from his hand. He gazed up, his head fuzzy and vision blurry. The fog grew thick, but before a green death enveloped him, he spotted a figure running in his direction. The man’s face was obscured by a black gas mask, but the purple robes meant it had to be the preacher Michael.

“Get out of here,” Michael shouted. 

“But Mist.” It was all Remus could say before he started coughing in the fog. 

“You need to get to the lake.”

“I can’t. I can’t. I have to stop it.”

“Foolish child. Get up and…”

The piercing bang of a gunshot choked off Michael’s words. The preacher turned, muttering to himself. The monster reared its head as its insectoid legs began the long process of turning its hulking mass towards the gate. Another shot broke past the yellow orb of its right eye. The monster wailed, and its giant hand pressed against its leaking face. Chunks spattered into the air as two more shots burst through the beast’s flesh. Emboldened hunters rallied. They were quickly brushed away, but not before opening a series of bloody gashes on the monster’s side. Remus rose to join them, but the preacher Michael held him back.

“No,” Michael said. 

Remus looked past him and saw a swift shadow in the fog, racing like the winged angels of Michael’s sermons. The figure wore a long brown coat with a wide-brimmed hat. His face was covered by a gas mask, and he carried a knife the size of a forearm. The man scrambled up the monster’s back, arm slashing back and forth as he ran along the ridge of the creature’s spine. He reached the forehead and grabbed at the tendril holding up the blue light. The man severed it with two brutal hacks. The light dimmed and the beast sputtered bile and bellowed once again. 

Remus stood in awe as the lone man stood against the giant beast. Both hulking arms clasped together, snatching up the man before he could evade. The beast squeezed, throwing open its mouth in anticipation of a well-earned meal. The man wriggled in the stubby fingers, his hand reaching something on his belt. As the beast dangled him above its gaping mouth, the man tossed a tiny ball downward into the gigantic esophagus. At the same time, he unleashed his knife on the fingers holding him, forcing them to release. Dropped on the ground, the man entered a dead sprint toward Remus and Michael. He fell upon the side of the chapel and covered his ears just as a mighty bang sounded. Remus’s eyes flew open as an explosion rocked the inside of the beast’s stomach, spewing fire, smoke, and the gruesome contents of the beast’s stomach everywhere. Its mouth hung open and it fell to the side, landing among scattered flesh and a strange, blue blood that now seeped into every surface of the village. 

Mouth agape, Remus gawked at the man, who was busy wiping a messy mix of bodily fluids from his coat.

“W-what was that?” Remus asked as the man passed.

“Loimos. Better be worth the grenade.” 

The man left, joining a woman at the gate wreckage. Though a gas mask obscured her face, Remus could recognize that lanky false bravado anywhere—Claudia.

 

 

Thanks for being our guest this week, Nick, and for sharing an excerpt. Your story sounds intriguing.

We wish you continued success with your writing.

 

 

Thank you to all our visitors and readers.

Feel free to leave a comment below.

We’d love to hear from you.

EARTH!

 It’s finally here!

 

It’s been a wonderful, fun collaboration and you can meet the authors.

Read on, my friends.

Earth, An Anthology, is the first in a compelling four part series that celebrates our

planet in a smorgasbord of unforgettable short stories.

Ten best-selling and award-winning authors who call the North Atlantic home, share

their vivid imaginations in these tales of intrigue and adventure. From potato farm

mayhem; investigating mysterious jagged trenches; a voice from the past; a grim

discovery, and a quest for a lost sword, to life lessons; seductive sparkle and fire; questioning the balance between good and bad; and someone – or something – that threatens the existence of Warden McCabe — Earth,

An Anthology, is a treasure trove of pure entertainment.

So tuck into your favourite armchair and experience our world as never before.

Angela Wren

Angela is an author, actor, and has worked as a director at a small theatre a few miles from where she lives in the county of Yorkshire in the UK.  She has always loved stories and story-telling – no matter what the media.  So, having ditched her full-time and very pressured job in business change and project management, it seemed right to try her hand at creative writing.

Starting with short stories, one of her earliest pieces was published in an anthology which was put together by the magazine ‘Ireland’s Own’ in 2011.  She hasn’t looked back since, going on to create many more short stories in, the Miss Moonshine, the Dark World, and the Seasonal Paths series of anthologies, along with stories for the UK Crime Book Club Group on Facebook.  She also has a successful cosy crime series of full-length novels set in the Cévennes and featuring her private investigator, Jacques Forêt.

 When she’s not writing, Angela likes to spend as much time as possible each year travelling in France.

 

Angela’s story in Earth

Eithne

Website – please go HERE.

 

Angella Cormier

Angella grew up in St-Antoine, in southeast New Brunswick. It was in this small town’s library where her love of reading and writing were born. Her curious nature about everything mysterious and paranormal helped carved the inspiration for her current passion of writing horror and mystery stories. She is also a published poet, balancing out her writing to express herself in these two very opposing genres. Angella has an extensive background in Interactive Multimedia Technology since 1998. She now owns and operates “Ancor Creative Solutions” as a personal creative assistant, where she proudly helps other writers with their cover design and book formatting, among with many other services.

Angella’s story in Earth.

Earth 2.0

Website – please go HERE. 

 

Eden Monroe.

Eden writes about real life, real issues and struggles, and triumphing against all odds. A proud east coast Canadian, she enjoys a variety of outdoor activities, and a good book.

 

Eden’s story in Earth.

The Awakening.

Website – please go HERE.

 

 Gianetta Murray

Gianetta was a librarian, technical writer, and knowledge manager for over forty years on two continents before she hung up those hats in 2022 to fulfill her dream of being a writer.

Netta has stories in Spring and Summer Paths as well as other anthologies. She has published a collection of humorous paranormal stories, A Supernatural Shindig, and the first two books in her Vivien Brandt Mystery series, starting with Moved to Murder. She is currently working on the third.

Besides writing, she enjoys walks in the English countryside when the weather allows, and when it does not (which is often) she binges on TV mysteries, Hollywood musicals, and rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She is also a willing slave for two very demanding cats.

 

Gianetta’s story in Earth.

The Gardener of Braintree.

Website – please go HERE.

 

Pierre Arseneault

The youngest of eleven children, Pierre C. Arseneault grew up in the small town of Rogersville, New Brunswick, Canada. As a cartoonist, Pierre was published in over a dozen newspapers. As an author, he has written solo and in collaboration. Pierre currently lives in the outskirts of his hometown again, near Rogersville in New Brunswick, Canada.

Pierre’s story in Earth.

Cedrik’s Travelling Sideshow

Website – please go HERE.

 

Suzanne Casey.

In my office closet, I have binders upon binders of stories that I created during elementary school.  I've been writing since I was 9-10 years old.  That passion has been burning in me for many decades.  However, regular life got in the way.  Marriage, raising two daughters, work, and other regular obligations came first.

When my parents died 6 weeks apart several years ago, I decided to stop finding excuses and follow my dream of becoming a novelist.  Life was too short not to live it with complete passion.  Surrounded by the love and support of my family and longtime friends, I've never looked back.

I am a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, loyal friend, and supporter of the underdogs.  I prefer one on one lunch dates over large gatherings.  I like making food for people, a trait I got from my mother.  Spending time with my two daughters rejuvenates me.  Spending time with my grandchildren is beyond precious.  Spending time with my siblings feeds my soul.

Suzanne’s story in Earth.

Boris.

Suzanne – please go HERE.

 

Sandra Bunting

Sandra grew up mainly in Miramichi, New Brunswick. She graduated from Ryerson, Toronto with a BA in Radio and Television Arts. After working for Broadcast News (CP) and CBC News, she moved to Europe and lived in France, Spain, and Ireland. She received a Masters in Writing from University of Galway and went on to give poetry seminars there, set up and manage the Academic Writing Centre, teach English as a Second Language and train teachers to teach EFL. 

Sandra’s first poetry collection, Identified in Trees, was published in 2006 by Marram Press in Galway, followed by two short story collections, The Effect of Frost on Southern Vines and Everything in this House Breaks, this time with her her own imprint Gaelóg Press. An earlier non-fiction collaboration The Claddagh: Stories from the Water's Edge was published by History Press, Dublin. The poetry collection Lesser Spotted was launched in the spring of 2023. She returned to Canada in 2011 and established herself in Montreal and later Miramichi, where she took up the position of executive director of the multicultural association for a few years. 

Sandra’s story in Earth.

Green Potatoes

Facebook – please go HERE.

 

 

Christopher Sweet

I’m a father of two crazy little boys, Gideon (3) and Sullivan (1), and beast-dad to three dogs and a cat (Colby, Zelda, Stanley, and Gemma). My wife, Annie, and I (et al) live on the gorgeous Tabusintac River where we help manage my parents’ campground, Ocean River RV Resort. Summers are spent working outdoors, tending the grounds, and winters are spent in relative creative isolation. We moved here in 2021 from Hamilton, Ontario and the change in pace and lifestyle has been incredible for our family and for our creative work (Annie is a very gifted visual artist, creator, singer, and, not least of all, mom). I’ve been writing for quite literally longer than I can remember and fairly recently decided to “seriously” funnel my ambition and creative energy into what has been my life’s passion. I took broadcast journalism at Mohawk College in Hamilton and screenwriting at University of Toronto. Journalism was fun but being awakened to screenwriting changed my life and really lit a fire under the writer in me—I wrote several screenplays before I got up the guts to write my first novel. With Annie’s encouragement, I quit what I assumed would be my career for the discernible future and got to work writing. In March of 2022 I published my first novel, The Boy in the Canvas.

 

Christopher’s story in Earth.

Kit

Website – please go HERE.

 

S.C. Eston

Steve always had a conflicting love for the fantastical and the scientific, which led him to write both fantasy and science-fiction. He has five published books: Deficiency, The Conclave and The Burden of the Protector, The Stranger of Ul Darak, and Surrender.   He lives in Fredericton with his wife and children. 

 

Steve’s story in Earth.

The Ridge

Website – please go HERE.

 

Allan Hudson

Allan lives in Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife Gloria. I began writing in my mid 50s with no intention of stopping. Since 2013 I have published 10 novels and partaken in four anthologies (this is my fifth). Happily retired, I spend most mornings working on my stories and publishing my blog, the South Branch Scribbler where I feature authors and other creatives, as well as my own stories. The rest of my days are spent with book related projects, time with family and other important issues, such as taking life easy.

 

Allan’s story in Earth

The Last Day on Earth

Website – you’re already here!

 

 

 

Buy the book HERE.

(please & thank you)

 

A HUGE thank you to all our visitors and readers.

Don't be shy - tell us what's on your mind!

The Story Behind the Story with Author Jill Maclean of Nova Scotia, Canada

 

One of my favourite storytellers is our guest this week.

Jill has been a guest with us before, a little over a year ago. 

If you missed it, please go HERE and discover the novel that precedes the one we are talking about today.

 

Please note the Jill’s second medieval novel, The Arrows of Fealty, will be launched on Sunday September 21^st at the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, 1113 Marginal Road, Halifax, NS, from 3:30 until 5:00. Bookmark will be on hand selling copies.

The book will also be available on all the usual online channels.

I’ve been a writer for a long time. Writing genre fiction taught me the basics of story-telling. Mentorships with two excellent poets, one in Winnipeg and one in Halifax, honed a love of language and a respect for the power of words. My poetry collection was shortlisted for two awards, my three middle-grade and two young adult novels garnered various nominations and awards and I began to think that maybe, just maybe I wasn’t wasting my time – I have a rampant inner critic and am all-too frequently assailed by self-doubt. Perhaps these two characteristics lead to my compulsion for revising? Is the opposite of self-doubt the conviction that each sentence as it’s first tapped on the screen is perfection itself?

Did I think, when I delved into researching the 14^th century ten years ago, that I would write two novels about serfs living in a small village in southwestern England who become embroiled in war, plague and rebellion? The short answer? No. Would I have kept going, had I known? Oh yes! The medieval period fascinates me, the characters have become part of me, writing – it’s very clear – is what I want to do, along with striving, always, to make the next book better than its predecessor. I hope you’ll read The Arrows of Fealty and judge for yourself.

I live in Bedford, Nova Scotia, and love gardening, walking (stirs the brain cells), canoeing and reading. Four of my current favourite novels are Pat Barker’s trilogy about the women of Troy, and Percival Everett’s James, based on the journey by Huck Finn and Jim down the Mississippi River, but brilliantly retold from the point of view of Jim, the slave on the run. Also, I’m delighted to have discovered Sarah Dunant’s historical novels, set in Renaissance Italy.

 

Title: The Arrows of Fealty

 

Synopsis:

The protagonist of The Arrows of Mercy, my first medieval novel, is Edmund of Flintbourne. The Arrows of Fealty tells the story of Haukyn, Edmund’s second son. As a serf, Haukyn owes fealty to the lord of the manor and his life is tied to the soil, yet he craves adventure beyond the boundary stones of his village. In 1373, he leaves for John of Gaunt’s campaign in France. There, during five months of combat and loss, futility and atonement, he learns how armour-clad knights can be brought as low as any serf.

Home again, he is caught between two women, pretty Annabel and Ilotte of the sloe-black eyes. Neither marriage nor fatherhood tames his restless spirit. When a knight who was his sworn enemy in France becomes the new lord of the manor, Haukyn leads his neighbours in rebellion against ancient custom and unjust taxation.

England’s southern counties march in open revolt to London, where Haukyn witnesses the king grant freedom to every serf in the country. Unimaginable freedom. A freedom that will bring consequences.

 

The Story Behind the Story:  

When I enter what I call the “brooding” phase of a new novel, which entails walking the neighbourhood with a notebook in my pocket, staring vacantly at the sky then madly scribbling something down, I don’t have a theme in mind, nor do I have an argument I want to get across or a lesson I want you to learn. Far from it. I begin with character and scene, listening and watching, hoping for scraps of dialogue, for an inkling of conflict and action, for the yearning that can so easily engulf each one of us. Henry James wrote, ”What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?” The two enmeshed, inseparable. This does, however, tend to slide over an important facet of historical novels, in which entire populations can be caught up in history – a war, a famine, a plague, a rebellion – events imposed upon them from outside. When the story describes how they react and their struggles to survive, then incident and character resurface.

I’m often the last person to know the themes that lie behind what I’ve written.  After my third middle-grade novel was published in 2013, someone said to me, “This book is about loneliness,” and I thought, shocked, you’re right, of course it is, and I never realized it. Instead, unknowingly, I must have trusted that by digging deeply enough into my characters’ lives and whatever was impinging on them, the theme or themes would emerge.

 

 

 

Jills website – please go HERE.

Buy the book HERE.

Scribbler: Tell us about your writing habits. Morning, late night, anytime? Music or solitude? What is your beverage of choice while writing?

Jill: No music. Silence, please. No company. I’m an introvert and someone leaning over my shoulder in the study would finish me off. Beverage? Water. Snack? Dark chocolate. Could I write without it? Doubtful.

I’m a morning person – don’t ever expect even minimal intelligence from me past nine o’clock at night. Consequently, I sit down at the laptop immediately after breakfast five days a week, and put in three or four hours of concentrated writing. Some days it goes well, others not…if I had to choose whether talent, inspiration or perseverance is the most important attribute for a writer, I’d probably choose perseverance. A morning person, indeed: when I’m working on a book, I often wake at 2 a.m. with Edmund crumbling soil between his fingers, Haukyn cursing the ragwort in the fields, Ilotte in the stocks railing at her tormentors. I grab the notebook by the side of the bed and write all this down, and sometimes in the morning it’s legible, and sometimes it even ends up on the screen. Oh, and every morning I start by revising what I wrote the day before: a good way to get back into the story. In the big picture, I write the first scene and keep going until I reach what feels like the end, not by any means following an outline, but usually with some sense of the arc of the story.

Revision is my middle name. When the manuscript is as polished as I can make it, and I’m so close to it that it could be full of holes and I wouldn’t see a single one of them, I send it to my trusted UK editor at The Literary Consultancy in London for substantive editing (one of my weak points). Almost all his suggestions are incorporated, alongside my own copy editing. This can take weeks or, more often, months.

For me, the ending is hugely important. I can’t tell you how many times I rewrote the last six or seven pages of The Arrows of Mercy.

Knowing when to stop revising is also hugely important. The original manuscript of The Arrows of Mercy was over 150,000 words, which I pared down to 113,000. Revision as subtraction. I was so intent on not repeating this mistake that The Arrows of Fealty was too sparsely written and the UK editor said things like, “Jill, this scene needs fleshing out. Jill, this character isn’t developed enough.” Revision as addition. Supposedly – if I write a trilogy – the first draft of the third novel won’t need any revision. Right? Don’t bet on it!


My warm thanks to Allan Hudson for his ongoing support of local authors.

You are most welcome, Jill. 

I’m looking forward to reading the story. 

Thanks for being my guest this week and I wish you continued success with your writing.

A HUGE thank you to all our visitors and readers.

The Story Behind the Story with Author Becca Blue of Lincoln, New Brunswick, Canada.

 

We have another new author for you to meet.

 

I had the good fortune to meet Becca at the GMRD Book Fair in April. We met lots of readers and had a fun day.

She has kindly accepted our invitation to be our guest this week.

Read on, my friends.

 

Becca Blue is a writer, director, photographer and graphic designer whose work blends emotional depth with a touch of the supernatural. She is the author of The Guardians of Your Heart series and the children’s series My Dog Bruce. Becca has spent 25 years working in the entertainment world on many popular film and television series. Her first award-winning indie film, All I Need, became the prelude to The Guardians of Your Heart series, establishing her signature style of love, loss, and redemption. When she isn’t writing or making her next film, she’s crafting book trailers and helping other authors publish their own stories with her small business Sakura Blue Studios based in Lincoln, New Brunswick.

Upcoming Book Title:

My newest books I’m about to release this year are The Guardians of Your Heart Series, which includes Stay With Me | Don’t Tell Me Goodbye | You’re Not Alone. The first one will release in September 2025, the second one before Christmas this year, and the last one in February 2026!

 

Synopsis:
Sophie Reid’s life changes forever when Nathan Hayes, her guardian angel, defies heavenly rules to save her from the darkness threatening to consume her. Their forbidden love grants Nathan a second chance at life, and together they begin to build a future filled with hope and passion. But their happiness is shattered when a vengeful spirit from Nathan’s past emerges from purgatory, determined to destroy Sophie and reclaim Nathan. Thrust into a supernatural battle where secrets unravel and danger lurks in every shadow, Sophie must confront her deepest fears and make impossible choices as their love is tested in ways she never imagined. Stay With Me, the first installment in The Guardians Of Your Heart series is a gripping tale of love, sacrifice, and redemption that will leave readers breathless and yearning for more.

 

 The Story Behind the Story – why you wrote it, what inspired it…

This story has been in my head since I was sixteen years old. Throughout high school, I wrote many stories with different variations of the same character, Nathan. I even had dreams of scenes and conversations, and lucky enough, I wrote them all down over the years. These little segments eventually came together while I was in college and became the prelude to my massive trilogy, The Guardians Of Your Heart. I published the first story, "All I Need," in 2009 and soon after adapted it into a full-length feature film that I directed and produced independently. That film went on to win at the Canadian International Film Festival. Since then, I knew this story was bigger than anything else I was doing in life. So, I dedicated my work to this series over the next few years, and I’m so excited to be finally releasing it all, starting in September 2025 with part one, “Stay With Me.” The second installment will be released by Christmas, and the last part in February 2026! This story is so important to me because I put a lot of myself into this book, my growth, my pain, my beliefs and more. I’ve always found writing and making movies to be an exciting way to share stories and uniquely reach others. You can be as creative as you want, and with self-publishing, your possibilities are endless. I’ve always been a super expressive person with my artwork, and the best part about the work I do now is meeting people who share some of the same experiences at book events, some have the same interests and more. It’s nice to connect with people who love the things you do! I’ve met some amazing people throughout this journey, and I can’t wait to hear what people think after reading this series! I am a strong believer that sometimes things in life stick with you because secretly…. there’s something else you should be doing. That they are trying to tell you something… so that’s what I think Nathan was doing for me. I’m happy I decided to listen.

Becca's Facebook page: Please go HERE.

Buy the book at Barnes & Noble.

or at 

Dog Eared Books.

or at

The Write Cup - Saint John. NB.

 

A question before you go, Becca:

Where does your creative energy come from?

Becca: My creative energy comes from various places. Music is a big one and of course movies. I also get inspired by others who are trying new things. When I find people who have the same creative energy as myself, we tend to fire each other up when hanging out and it’s so amazing! I like to travel, see new things, learn new skills and meet new people. All of this inspires me daily. I think the more you get out there in the world, the more you can continue to grow. I’m also a person who likes to try for the impossible. I don’t like to be told no, or that I can’t do something. I think if you want something bad enough, it all comes down to your drive and work ethic. I’m always up for a challenge, even if it’s not the normal or “right” way of doing something.

 

 

An Excerpt from The Guardians Of Your Heart 

“Be careful how you think, your thoughts could shape your reality.” It was true. My life was a lot different now, better now that he was gone. I had managed to move on in the short time since he left, or at least trick my mind into believing I had. Successfully cutting everyone and everything out of my life that had caused me any emotional or physical distress, past or present. Hiding away and burying myself in my acting career, I had no time for anyone or anything—not even to think. If I did start to think about my old life or him, I immediately snapped myself out of it and began a new task or hobby to keep busy.

I had even moved out of our—well, my old place and into a small run-down apartment just big enough for me. The idea was to erase everything from my old life, including him. I wanted everything new and fresh. Different. Because I knew if I thought for just one split second about him, it would destroy me. So this was all I could do to try and live a normal life. This was me controlling my thoughts, holding tight to the life I had left, the life that hadn’t been what I planned. I had seen, experienced, and lived through more than the average person, and I didn’t care to relive any of it. I was a whole new girl now. I was... one piece of a life.

 

 

Thanks for sharing the good news, Becca. And for being our guest this week. WE wish you continued success with your writing.

 

And another HUGE thank you to all our visitors and readers.