By Kristy McCaffrey



The most challenging books I've written - there are three.

First is THE DOVE.

THE DOVE was my sophomore effort after writing THE WREN (in which I was oblivious to writing rules, marketing, and publishing in general). So while THE WREN was exciting and fun, THE DOVE filled me with trepidation and worry. It was also when I became aware of my general lack of experience in crafting a novel. I'd gotten lucky with THE WREN, but now it was time to deliberately hone my skills (my education was in engineering not creative writing). I had an excellent editor on the first edition of THE DOVE and I'll always be forever grateful for the help and tough-love she gave me. And so began my steep learning curve into story structure, point-of-view, and theme.

The second most difficult book I wrote was THE SPARROW.

While this was the third book I ever drafted (and I was still in craft deep-learning mode), the bigger challenge was the plot itself. I've come to realize after years of writing that I have a strong need for information. I'm at heart "a learner." So when I set out to write about the heroine's shamanic journey through the Grand Canyon, I was dismayed by my own lack of knowledge on the subject. So I stopped writing while I pursued my own shamanic education. (I should also add that my children's lives were very active at this time, so I also set my writing aside to focus on their needs.) It was six years before I returned to this manuscript.

And finally, I found THE STARLING extremely challenging to complete.

At this point, I'd penned nine novels and numerous shorter works, so it was less about my writing ability and more about my state-of-mind. During the creation of this book, I was in the process of losing both my father-in-law and my heart dog, Lily. Despite this deeply sad passage in my life, I learned that consistency could be maintained with the tiniest of steps (some days I could only write 500 words) and kindness toward myself. I was also forced to dig deep in my faith as a storyteller.