Novel Overview

The other day, my writing partner Renee-Schuls-Jacobsen Lessons from Teachers and Twits and I tried to summarize my novel in a paragraph, and I’m here to tell you it isn’t easy to step back and pinpoint a book in one sentence. And to be frank, I have been a little nervous about revealing the plot because it is, like so much of what I write, a bit raw. I’m afraid that prospective readers will hear that and howl, “Gah! Too dark!” And the thing is, this is not a dark story. Ultimately, I am weaving a tale of hope, redemption, friendship and love. How is that you ask? From chapter 9 to the end of what I am tentatively naming Ripple, I show how competent and loving care can resurrect a shattered young woman and her broken mother.

Because so many people have been helping me solve plot questions on my Facebook page Running from Hell with El, I wanted everyone to know more about what I am doing. In one sentence, here it is. After the rape of a 15-year old girl named Phoebe, her mother Helen protects her in a way she never thought she could, and after she seeks help, we see the ripple effect of women helping women. That sounds simple doesn’t it? But it took me thousands of words to cull it down to a sentence that could fit in a Twitter Running from Hell update. And I owe my writing partner for helping me write this sentence.

Where does this concept come from? Go ahead and laugh. It comes from a Grateful Dead song. The song is (yeah you guessed it) called Ripple. Pretend you’re listening to background music as you hear these lyrics:

06 Ripple

Reach out your hand if your cup be empty,

If your cup is full may it be again,

Let it be known there is a fountain,

That was not made by the hands of men.

In my novel, several characters, in their professional capacity as lawyers, therapists, the operators of a safe home for abused women, and even a horse trainer, reach out and help Phoebe and her mother. In flashbacks, the reader will see how the mother’s attorney, Cassandra, went through her own periods of darkness. In a very real sense, I am writing about the ripple effect of women helping women.

When I conceived this novel a year ago, I knew that my main characters, like me, would emerge from darkness and tragedy into a bright future. This is why I named the girl Phoebe. Her name means “Child of Light.” From the very darkest places, if we reach out with our hand with an empty cup and someone reaches back and refills it with love, we will find our way to the light. Always searching, always reaching . . . for the light.