Beginning the journey . . .

When I introduced the Marie H. Crain site, I promised to tell about the beginning of Secrets One - The Series.  So today, I thought I would share a little bit about the incredible experience- and journey- that has resulted in the novel being published. This will strictly be from my viewpoint. My co-author, Thomas Jay Wacker, will have his own unique thoughts on the subject, so I do not intend this to be from his perspective.

My co-author and I are not the most likely pairing for such a project. We grew up several states apart and with different backgrounds. Our unlikely meeting was in 2002 in another business venture in a small Colorado community. Some might say the meeting was destined to be- he had returned from England a short time before, and I had not been in the city nor the state long, moving from Ohio.

My take on it is that as we became friends, we soon found we did have some things in common such as the interest in writing, a love of music, and important core beliefs. I had a sense, a premonition if you will, that we would be writing together. At the time though, it seemed unlikely to me since we had met in a different environment.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my co-author had returned from London with more than just memories! He had the seed of an idea, which he was beginning to grow into a storyline. He offered me the opportunity to participate in the adventure, the journey of co-writing a full-length novel as the beginning of a series.

Now, being a writer, it was like a dream come true. You might think the answer was a quick and resounding yes! But, I viewed it as a very serious commitment, and I gave it a lot of thought and prayer before giving an answer.

Obviously, the answer was finally yes! It has been such a rewarding experience. Yes, writing a full-length novel requires dedication and what some might call hard work.  But, even that is a joy. We have learned what works for us to write together. It is incredibly exciting, and satisfying, when characters come to life and a storyline takes shape, continuing to grow.

While there have been other writing projects in the past, and more to come in the future, Secrets One - The Series is that unique experience for both the writer and the reader.

Secrets One – The Series

Enjoying life's tapestry . . .

Hello! It has been awhile since I have been able to visit with you by way of the blog. It is really good to be back!

Through some varying circumstances, the last few weeks have been a time of solitude and retrospect. As any writer will probably agree, those conditions make for a lot of ideas and thinking on how to develop them.

I would say one of the most common themes of my thought processes the last few weeks is how true the comparison of a tapestry is in relation to our lives. There are so many influences that go into the development of what our lives become. People obviously play an important role. It is a crucial role, really. Some provide the color and strength to our life tapestries, while others provide the friction that can either fray or change the pattern. Some may be consistent throughout, others may come and go in the design. Others yet may simply be that one unique color in just a corner of the pattern.

Each experience in life contributes to the tapestry, and can also be a positive or negative. Sometimes, it is our reaction or perception that makes the change in the design, and not really what was intended.

Before a tapestry comes together, it is just a pile of different color threads- maybe of different textures, too. But, woven together it creates beauty.

Writing is much like that. Out of the jumble of colors and textures of our lives, stories come forth- full of emotion and life!

Secrets One – The Series