Grace Greene's Blog: Grace's Author Page

Or what's in the meaning, the theme, the story that creates and supports the book title?

Authors will often have working titles as they write a new novel. At some level, the working title aligns with how they see the book story. For writers who don't plot, but simply follow the story to see where it leads, sometimes the first working title will need to change to work better with the story as it changes and grows. In fact, publishers will usually have a better, more marketable idea of what makes a worthy title and the author's idea of a title will not survive. In my case, however, for A Heart Beyond, the title was solely my choice. And that said, the working title throughout the months of writing the story stayed the same: A Narrow House.

While I loved the title, A Narrow House, I didn't feel that a potential reader (and most of mine are women's fiction fans) would find it appealing. I wouldn't. For instance, in my opinion, A Narrow House was too non-genre specific and might confuse readers seeking a new story in my genre. So, as I was finishing the story, I changed the title.

It wasn't easy. I struggled with so many options, always loving my first "love" - A Narrow House - best. When I hit on A Heart Beyond, I knew it was right. But I didn't know why. It FELT right. But I didn't understand the connection between the two. And so I brainstormed. What did it mean to me? How did the new title connect to what the working title had meant to me, and how did that conjunction find life in the story itself?

Let me state clearly, I am no poet. While I love the words, the rhythm, the visual and musical lyricism of poetry, the mechanics of it confuse me. Much like Algebra confused me. Or where to place commas confuses me daily. Let's just call my effort at poetry to be something more like blank verse. Will that work? So the verses popped into my head as if they'd always been there lurking, waiting for the unfinished book to be ready for a REAL title page, and then they slipped gently, yet boldly, into existence like a new word creature stepping on scene for the first time. I did have to do some tweaking, but the verses connected the two titles in my brain. MY understanding of the story I was writing became so much clearer and deeper. So, not out of hubris, but rather to honor that working title AND the finished title, I decided to include it in the front matter of A Heart Beyond, thus I'm doing something in this post that I never do - share my version of poetry - and you'll notice both titles have a place here in these verses, co-equal and indivisible.

Verses composed by Grace Greene for A Heart Beyond, July 2024

My heart within

These walls,

This narrow house

A haven found,

This home

That kept me safe

And hid me well

But no longer fits.

 

This narrow house,

These walls,

I love them yet

They cannot block

This song

That calls my heart

And leads me on

To the path beyond.

Beach Heart was published on June 7, 2022, another book set in Emerald Isle, NC, but intended as a single title. Whether that will continue, is another question as I'm considering a sequel, but regardless Beach Heart itself is intended to be read as a single title, no annoying cliff hangers at the end. I hope you'll give it a try. Readers seem to enjoy it very much. I hope you will, too. And if you do read it and enjoy it, consider either Beach Rental, or A Barefoot Tide while you wait.

I'm ready for a trip to the beach. What about you?

because, among other things, I've been writing. 2020 was hard for most everyone - for some it was far worse than for others, as we know. With so much known and unknown going on, I experienced a lot of trouble writing. I could write, yes, but not what I wanted to write. My usual somewhat angsty but essentially upbeat stories kept derailing, and though I kept trying to write per my usual process, it wasn't working - until I met the character, Lilliane Moore. I was very fortunate to be able to spend the latter half of 2020 in Lilliane's head, and at the end of the year as 2021 was arriving, A Barefoot Tide was getting close to publication.

I love A Barefoot Tide and the characters and the story. But A Barefoot Tide was intended to be a single title, with other books yet to come in the same setting - all single titles. But...the readers spoke. They wanted to know more about what came next for Lilliane. And so did I. So I settled at my desk in my writing room and got to work - having absolutely no idea where this story would go and where it would take me.

And there were a lot of fun surprises along the way.

A Dancing Tide, the sequel to A Barefoot Tide, is now set for release on October 12, 2021. Again, as with 2020, I feel blessed to have been able to spend most of 2021 with Lilliane. She is the essential Cub Creek character and she has the opportunity to experience a life she's never known at the beach - the unbelievably beautiful landscape of the Outer Banks and of Emerald Isle, NC. Plus, it was so much fun to be able to include crossover characters from both the Cub Creek books and the Emerald Isle Series.

The background of the image here is actually a photo I took on a recent trip to Emerald Isle. It was every bit as gorgeous as the pictures suggests.

So, yes, the past two years have been difficult for me, but with that difficulty were some blessings. I hope you can say the same. Lilliane learned from her mother, as I learned from mine (who left us at the beginning of 2020), not to borrow trouble from tomorrow, but to live each day as it comes.

Grace

www.GraceGreene.com

How are you doing during these stressful times? I'm fine, but last night I was overcome with the need to wash my kitchen floor and today to wash my lace curtains...so the physical activity is good, right? And my house will be cleaner, too. How are you dealing with the current situation? Please stay well and stay safe.If you're spending some time reading, two of my books are on sale this month:**TWO March SALES** Don't Miss These! BEACH RENTAL ~ the first novel in the Emerald Isle, NC Stories series - can also be read as a single title - is on SALE for 99 cents in the US and Canada. This is a great opportunity to try it out. US https://amzn.to/2YNi436 CANADA http://ow.ly/NFAUTTHE HAPPINESS IN BETWEEN is on sale for 99 cents. It's a single title set in rural Virginia (Cub Creek) and it's Sandra's story of second and third chances. US https://amzn.to/2M8v424Also! One of the founding authors in MY BOOK TRIBE (a fabulous reader group on Facebook - if you're not a member, you should join us!) is having her GOLDEN BIRTHDAY today! Happy Birthday, Kay Bratt! And her newest release is also on sale for $1.99! TRUE TO ME! Grab a copy! You'll love this book!Be Well ~ Be Kind ~ Be SafeGrace

I knew the title, A Light Last Seen, almost before I knew anything else about this novel. I don't know where the title came from. I just knew it. But I was well along with the writing before the dragonflies were added to the story. Dragonflies appear in A Light Last Seen at important points in Jaynie Highsmith's life ~ beginning on that fateful day when young Jaynie met Ruth Berry. Why dragonflies? This past summer when I was writing A Light Last Seen, we had an abundance of dragonflies. Each day on my walk, as I was stretching my legs and airing my brain cells and musing over the story-in-progress, I was surrounded, almost swarmed, by dragonflies. It was strange because I could hardly remember ever seeing dragonflies along my walk in prior years. But every day, there they were. More and more of them. And I decided they must belong in my story - or rather, Jaynie Highsmith's story, and I was slow to get the message. So I introduced them into the story and then decided I should look up the symbolism around them. Every online entry was similar - change, transformation, self-realization, light and joy by going beyond your current sense of self...Perfect. Exactly what A Light Last Seen was about. Jaynie's story is also about forgiveness and becoming one's whole self but you can't get there without transformation and faith, so - dragonflies.It amazes me how we are often oblivious to all that surrounds us and instead focus on the obvious. Perhaps it's even comforting to hold the obvious close to us rather than to risk change and failure by going beyond our comfort zones. I almost missed the importance of the dragonflies - even while I was being overwhelmed by the abundance of them. But I'm so glad they didn't give up. We should never give up on things that are important to us. And Jaynie ~ regardless of flaws ~ is persistent. And, despite her hardships and even her apparent cynicism, she is an essential optimist, blessed by a great friendship and a strong spirit. Here is a picture of one of the dragonflies from this past summer. They moved so fast that I couldn't get pictures and one day as I was returning from my walk, this one was posed on my sidewalk and I snagged the shot. Thank you for accompanying me, A Light Last Seen, and the dragonflies on this journey. You are much appreciated and I hope you enjoy A Light Last Seen. Grace

It's a single title, standalone novel. It's set in the same Cub Creek environment as THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES, THE WILDFLOWER HOUSE SERIES and CUB CREEK and LEAVING CUB CREEK. One ARC reader said it this way: "'In the heart of Virginia, where the forests hide secrets and the creeks run strong and deep' is a place called Cub Creek. A place that has meadows filled with colorful flowers and butterflies to chase, and dirt roads and Cub Creek to jump over and disappear into the woods. A living and rural place that draws the reader to the setting and the characters who have stories to tell. A place with light and darkness and as unique as the characters who live there.When I opened the beautiful cover of this book I stepped into the Cub Creek world and met the main character, Jaynie Highsmith. This is her story." Why Cub Creek? The Cub Creek in these novels is located in Louisa County, Virginia. I grew up along a different creek a couple of counties away, but the woods, the creek and solitude was the same. The landscape as I knew it, along with those barefoot days of roaming freely while Mom tended the younger children, exists mostly in my memory now. But the real Cub Creek hasn't changed all that much. So A LIGHT LAST SEEN is Jaynie Highsmith's story. Why Jaynie's story? Last year I was sharing a memory with someone from a time when I was thirteen. It was a disquieting memory. One of those that stay with you forever, that your mind takes out from time to time and reconsiders as it tries to make sense of it, and seeks to understand why you, in that moment of being thirteen, reacted the way you did. Having spoken the memory aloud, the memory became the seed of an idea that grew into Jaynie's story. The story in the novel no longer resembles the actual event in my memory. It has become its own story - its own character - Jaynie Highsmith.A LIGHT LAST SEEN releases tomorrow, Tuesday, February 11, 2010. It joins my family of novels. I'll celebrate its birthday tomorrow and then turn my focus onto the next book. The next story. And I'll look forward to the day when I can offer that to readers, too.

This decade is soon to the be in the rearview mirror. But wow, what a decade it was personally, especially in my writing life. My first published novel, BEACH RENTAL, released in 2011. KINCAID'S HOPE and A STRANGER IN WYNNEDOWER released in 2012. A STRANGER IN WYNNEDOWER was my first Indie published title. From BEACH RENTAL to my most recent release this past November, a total of SIXTEEN published works are out there in the world with my name on them. Crazy!! What truly astounds me is that someone thought those stories worthy of publishing, and readers - you lovely, wonderful, amazing readers - found them worth reading ❤️ Without you, there'd be no point in it for me. You are who I write for. I feel blessed and am so grateful to have had this opportunity. I can't begin to express how grateful I am.There were many non-writing events and joys in this decade from the highlight of a new granddaughter to the scary bout of cancer, but through everything the books kept coming.For me, it feels appropriate that I sent the seventeenth book off to the editor two days ago (for publication in February) and I love the feel of having a new book, A LIGHT LAST SEEN, bridging the two decades, journeying with me from all the yesterdays to the hoped-for tomorrows - from 2019 to 2020. I hope you'll be there with me because it won't be the same without you

Have you read WILDFLOWER HEART, the first book in The Wildflower House series? It released last January. WILDFLOWER HOPE, the second book in the series releases today (9/24). A third installment of Kara Lange Hart's story will be in WILDFLOWER CHRISTMAS (A Holiday Novella) that releases on 11/12/19.Wildflower House is an unusual property - an old Victorian style mansion originally built as a girl's school that passed from owner to owner until Mary and Rob Forster purchased it. Mary was dedicated to her gardens and Rob was dedicated to Mary. Mary was the creator of the various nooks in the edges of the woods.Houses and settings play a big part in my books. I was always fascinated by big old houses that showed the ravages of time, and hinted of stories, but thus far had survived the forces of time and nature. Wildlflower House is that for me. While writing the stories I saw stock photo images that matched my vision of the areas around Wildflower House - of the nooks and bridge and so on - that are present in all the Wildflower House books. I thought you might enjoy seeing them too!Seth introduced Kara to this nook - the largest of them - and Kara tended to think of it as Seth's Grotto though it's proper name is The Gazing Ball Grotto.Below: The Wooden Bridge plays an important role in all three stories - romance, a source of danger, and even a confrontation.Kara's father, Henry, updated the terrace with a pergola overhead with new furniture, so it looks more modern than it would otherwise.One of the smallest nooks is Mary's Reading Nook. It's a tiny clearing with a bench and nothing more - until you notice the gnomes, etc. in the woods around you.I hope you enjoyed this tour of Wildflower House and I hope to find more other likely images of what you'd see there and when I do, I'll share them.Thanks for coming, and I hope you enjoyed the visit!! Grace

We have reached mid-July. For me, that's always seemed like the mid-point of summer. When I was a child, my thoughts would already be about returning to school, or when my children were young, we were wondering who their teachers would be or would they be in the same classes as their friends... It's human nature to race ahead of today, but I hope you'll enjoy the present and if it's hot where you are, I hope your AC is working well and that you have lots of time for reading - whether inside or in a shady spot outdoors. There is a Goodreads Giveaway running for signed print copies of The Memory of Butterflies HERE. It ends in two days, so if you're interested, do please enter. If you are a NetGalley user, Wildflower Hope is available HERE for early reader/reviewers. If you aren't a NetGalley user, you can consider joining. Check it out and see if it might be a good fit for you. Wildflower Hope's release date is 9/24 so this is an opportunity to get an early read. Also, some amazing author friends of mine are doing a good deed for both animals, animal lovers, and readers. Please check out their upcoming release *Releasing on 7/23*. The details are below and their website has links to all the ebook stores where you can buy it - HERE.Summertime Murders are RUFF ALL BRAND NEW STORIES! A #1 Amazon Best Seller! Looking for cool cozies for hot summer days? Then you'll love this purr-fectly paw-some cozy mystery boxed set from fourteen USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon best-selling authors. We've pulled out all the stops with Summer Snoops Unleashed! Enjoy hours of fun sniffing out clues on sandy beaches, shimmering waterways, and at small-town celebrations in these brand-new stories full of wily sleuths, cagey plots, and un-fur-gettable tails! Fetch your copy now to get these furr-ocious new cozy mysteries and woof it up with us! They're howlingly good reads! All preorders support better lives for pets! Order on our website at www.summersnoops.com or you can preorder it directly via Amazon HERE.

Whether you're at the beach, hanging out on the patio, or curled up good and cozy with a book and a pillow ~ here are some beach reading suggestions and they are On Sale. In my last post I shared that all three of my Lake Union Women's Fiction novels are on sale during the month of May (and you'll find those links below). To that, I want to add that BEACH RENTAL is now on sale for the Memorial Day Weekend - half-price at $1.99. BEACH RENTAL is the award-winning first novel in the Emerald Isle, NC Stories series of romance and sweet inspiration. RT Book Reviews awarded BEACH RENTAL its TOP PICK designation. Each of the Emerald Isle, NC Stories series novels can be read as standalone books, but are better (I believe!) if read in order, so BEACH RENTAL is a great way to start that trip to the beach!The other BIG SALES in May ~ *WILDFLOWER HEART, the newest release, is on sale in the US for the FIRST TIME EVER. *THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES - an Amazon Bestseller - is on sale in the US for 1.99, and *THE HAPPINESS IN BETWEEN is on sale in the US for ONLY 99 cents.*WILDFLOWER HEART**THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES**THE HAPPINESS IN BETWEEN* And *WILDFLOWER HOPE* the sequel to WILDFLOWER HEART, is available on preorder. Order it now and you'll get the Amazon Low Price Guarantee when it releases on 9/24. Happy Reading!!!!https://www.gracegreene.com/so/f4MhbHO2A