 If you haven’t read my Retrospective post on Rose’s book, click to read Part 1.
In the way that Rose’s story was difficult to write, Reen’s was entirely different. I had already set up the world and the mystery surrounding the Barros family background in Rose’s book, but I needed to move the story forward. While writing Rose, I had an idea of Reen in my head. She was standoffish and ran away from her problems. Whenever Rose tried to talk to her, the conversations were short and usually ended with Reen hanging up abruptly. Reen didn’t share much with her sister since she had run away after graduation years ago. Now, here I was with a hint of a character who I had to flesh out and create her own story while pushing toward the fantasy element of their hidden past. The only link that Reen still had to The Burrow was her family. After her departure, she cut ties with everyone in her life; including her high school sweetheart, Brody. So, with the failing health of the matriarch in the family, Reen trudged home, unprepared for what awaited her in The Burrow. When I started drafting Reen’s story, I was still working on revisions for Rose. Switching between them wasn’t easy. These women are total opposites, and I wasn’t going to run into the saggy second book syndrome while rehashing Rose’s story in Reen’s book. In comes the reverse outlining method. An author friend of mine, K.R. Conway, introduced me to this method at a NESCBWI workshop. It involves starting at the end of the book, or a scene further into the story that I was excited to write, and you move backward. So, I opened a notebook and placed my “exciting” scene at the top of the page. Then I went down the page, jotting down other events which would have to occur to get to that point. Before I knew it, I had outlined more scenes than I knew what to do with. This process opened my mind to inspiration and the story flowed quite easily from there. As I said in Rose’s post, I have not found one method to complete more than one book. I’m always learning, but at least I have a toolbox filled with ways I can try if (but most likely when) I come to a roadblock in each of my stories.
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 Most writers will say that each project is different than the last. We learn from the book creating process in many ways. We grow and get better.
But, when it came to creating THE SISTERS’ SECRETS: ROSE, I had no idea what I was in for. I had already published eight novels and novellas with the fantastic team at HQ Digital. I had this down, right? Wrong. When I created this project, the vision came quickly. I saw Rose and Reen, and their ailing mother, Pearl. Their dynamics formed and before I knew it, I had three paragraphs—one for each book. Ideas flew through my mind, and I jotted them all down. Then, I signed the contract and *Poof* nothing. First, I thought it was the prospect of starting something new. Rose’s book was the first in the trilogy, so setting up the world was imperative. The first two stories take place in “our world” with a hint of the supernatural. I used Google maps to look at coastal towns in Connecticut—surely at that point, I would find the spark of the story. While I had the location, the story still sat dormant in the back of my mind. The deadline for the first draft loomed, and I was nowhere near where I wanted to be. This roadblock is where a lot of unpublished writers might stop and start something new. But I had a contract and many people at my publisher waiting and expecting a story. So, I put the coffee maker on standby and pushed through the story. I understood the responsibility of setting up this world, but I kept it in Rose’s perspective. I still had Reen and Pearl’s story to get through, and I knew there would be a time in revisions to expand. When I started writing, there was no stopping me. Sure, this book had the most notes during first and second revisions, but I had the story I wanted to set the series off. Looking back at other books I’ve published, at some point in the process, I’ve hit a rut—whether it’s during drafting or revising. But my best work comes out of being challenged. Luckily, I’ve had some amazing women at HQ Digital to push me to be the best I could be, one book at a time. Rose changed the way I approach a book, and I have faith that more characters and book ideas will do the same. 
I can't have a successful writing session without listening to music. Silence doesn't strike any inspiration for me. If you follow me on Twitter and Instagram, you will frequently see my current writing music.
When I get up in the morning before a writing session, I browse my email and social media for about 5-10 minutes while listening to a cultivated list of music to get me in the "mood". While writing, I prefer to keep to movie/television scores without lyrics (as they distract me!). Over the course of about a year, I created a playlist for the series because at any moment, I would be drafting and revising at the same time. I wanted these books to have the same "feel" so I kept everything in one neat playlist and added more as I continued with the series. If there's one universal truth about writers, it's that we like to share. When we hear great writing advice, we share. If we read a book we like, we share. And, when we come across a resource that has really helped us, yes that's right...we share! So today I'm sharing some news: authors Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have released a second edition of The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression!  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUTHOR KATLYN DUNCAN RELEASES HER 10th NOVEL THE SISTER’S SECRETS: REEN THE SISTER’S SECRETS: REEN, the tenth novel by author Katlyn Duncan was published as an e-book on January 17th, 2019. THE SISTER’S SECRETS: REEN is the second in a trilogy. Eight years ago, Syrene “Reen” Barros fled from her idyllic seaside town in Connecticut with no intention of returning. Withdrawn and isolated from her family after the tragic death of her father, there was no reason to stay. But when her sister, Rose, reaches out with news about their mother she has no choice but to go back. Forced to confront her demons she runs into her childhood sweetheart, Brody, who still sends her heart into a flutter. But can Reen finally learn let go of the past and find the happiness she truly deserves? THE SISTER’S SECRETS: REEN is available as an e-book for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, all Apple devices and at any vendor that sells e-books. Katlyn lives in Connecticut with her family and adorably fluffy Wheaten Terrier. You can join her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, connect on Instagram, and visit her website. THE SISTER’S SECRETS: REEN
by Katlyn Duncan HarperCollins Publishers • On Sale: January 17, 2019 • Price E-Book $2.99 • Pages : 150 ISBN: 9780008314910 Visit https://www.harpercollins.com or www.katlynduncan.com I have a secret to spill!
For the last month, I've been part of a Street Team for Angela and Becca at Writers Helping Writers, who are launching their new writing book on February 19th. Because they are known for showing, not telling, they decided it would be fun to keep the thesaurus book's topic a secret until the book cover reveal...WHICH IS TODAY! It's been hard keeping quiet about this, so I am thrilled I can finally announce that The Emotion Thesaurus Second Edition is coming! I'm so excited to share my newest release with all of you! REEN is the second of three books involving a family in a small seaside town. Reen returns to her hometown after eight years to find out everything is different. The truth always rises to the surface, and Reen is about to discover her family's magical past. Now available for purchase at your favorite ebook retailer.  This year, my wish list consisted of books alone. I informed my family members that all I wanted were books. They could either pick from the list or not, but all I want are books! I've been on a personal book buying ban (since I have around 85 TBR books on my current shelves!) for a few months and I'm so looking forward to Christmas Day, opening all of those magical books IRL and on my Kindle!! So, for those who are interested in giving or receiving books this year, here are a couple of my PERSONAL recommendations. For those who love books with a fantasy twist. Join the Barros women in the small coastal town of The Burrow to discover their mystical past. Looking for some chills and thrills? AS YOU LAY SLEEPING and SIX LITTLE SECRETS delivers! For the romance lovers. THIS SUMMER and THIS CHRISTMAS follow two neighbors who find the love they've always needed. For the paranormal lovers.
THE LIFE AFTER trilogy and DARKEST DAWN will fulfill your need for the spooky and the fight against evil. Recently, I came across a blog post on Goodreads and since I've published a women's fiction series on mermaids, I wanted to share. My own take on the lore of the beautiful mythical creatures released last month; Book 1 in The Sister’s Secrets trilogy, Rose’s story. While the mermaid lore isn’t fully explored in this novella, you get a good take on what is to come and why the women in Rose’s family are so special.
The article reads: “When we write about mermaids, we write about women: As we peel back the veneer of prettiness, dig through the strata of storytelling, we find a thousand shards of ourselves to reject or reclaim.” I find this quote to be so true. While writing Rose’s story, I dug deeper into her fear of the water as it relates to her past and how it inevitably wove into her future and past. All of the stories quoted in the article showcase many artistic opinions on the underwater mythical creatures, while commenting on life itself. In The Sister’s Secrets: Rose, the point-of-view character, Rose, has many issues in her life, yet she remains content to live in the seaside town of The Burrow. She deals with life the only way she knows how and experiences a spark of romance in the process of discovering her past. I love the last line of the article: “The gorgeous swirling-haired mermaid of fairytale is available to us, but so is the siren calling the exhausted to oblivion. There are many ways to be, and many ways to escape.” Diving into a good mermaid story whether I write or read it, offers the escape I need from the pressures of life. Where I am able to disappear under the depths, or into a seaside town where I can feel the salty breeze against my face. What are your favorite mermaid novels, or stories? If you haven’t read any, what is it about the mermaid lore that entices you? Sound off in the comments below, I’d love to connect with you. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUTHOR KATLYN DUNCAN RELEASES HER 9th NOVEL THE SISTERS' SECRETS: ROSE THE SISTERS' SECRETS: ROSE, the ninth novel by author Katlyn Duncan was published as an e-book on October 10th, 2018. THE SISTER’S SECRETS: ROSE is the first in a trilogy. In a small seaside town in Connecticut, Rose Barros has lived her life to the rhythm of the tides until a near-death experience changed her love for the water to a soul-deep terror, driving a wedge between herself and her sister, Reen. Now, the only thing threatening to drown Rose is a mountain of bills and the burden of caring for her mother. She needs her sister more than ever, but rebellious Reen has skipped town and shows no interest in returning. But that all changes when two strangers arrive in the quiet seaside town and turn her life upside-down. The first, a girl who leaps from the pier before Rose’s eyes; the second, the handsome new Chief of Police who doesn’t take kindly to Rose interfering in his investigation of the girl’s disappearance. As they dig into the girl’s past, secrets are revealed, including a connection to Rose herself. Rose is once again faced with her deepest fears and she has to make the choice to turn to the water or face the truth with the possibility of leading her into deeper waters than she can handle. THE SISTERS' SECRETS: Rose is available as an e-book for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, all Apple devices and at any vendor that sells e-books. Katlyn lives in Connecticut with her family and adorably fluffy Wheaten Terrier. You can join her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, connect on Instagram, and visit her website. THE SISTERS' SECRETS: ROSE by Katlyn Duncan
HarperCollins Publishers • On Sale: October 10, 2018 • Price E-Book $2.99 • Pages: 165 ISBN: 9780008314903 Visit https://www.harpercollins.com or www.katlynduncan.com |
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