My guest today is long-time friend and frequent carpooler, Patricia Kiyono. Patty writes delightful, heartwarming stories. She's here to tell us about being part of a multi-author project. I finished this book late last night. My review is at the end.
The Road to Escape by Patricia Kiyono
Book One in The
Escape Reunion Series, a multi-author project
Sometimes it takes a village… to write a book!
Writing is often described as a lonely profession. An author
spends a lot of time working alone, other than the characters in his or her
mind. But I’ve found that the end result is much better when other eyes, ears,
and minds are part of the project.
In the case of The
Road to Escape, I presented the idea of a patriarch who’s been estranged
from his children. He receives a medical diagnosis that causes him swallow his
pride and invite the children all home for a reunion. I suggested that I could
write the patriarch’s story and asked if anyone would be willing to write
stories for his children. Several other authors in my publishing house liked
the idea, and came on board. Together, we brainstormed online and came up with
names, locations, professions, and conflicts between their characters and their
father.
But the collaborations didn’t end there. As we began
writing, we knew we had to include scenes or memories of the other characters,
so we shared bits and pieces with each other to be sure our visions of the
characters matched what others thought. Thank goodness for emails, texts, and
Facebook Messenger!
Face-to-face brainstorming sessions really helped. My
brainstorming buddies from MMRWA were helpful in helping me work out how I
could make different scenarios work. Sometimes I just needed ideas, and wherever
a group of creative people gathers, ideas abound. My daughter and niece always
provide valuable feedback on how younger characters would look, speak, and
react in various situations. My character has a teenage granddaughter who comes
to stay with him, so I needed ideas on how she would be dressed, so I asked
them, as well as my own granddaughters.
Last, but not least, I enlisted the help of people in the
professions of my characters. Tom Cooper is a part-time attorney who owns and
runs an alpaca farm. Laurie Matthews is a former nurse who runs a diner. I met
and/or chatted with people in all those professions to make sure my
descriptions of the things Tom and Laurie did were realistic and accurate.
So while the actual
writing is done alone, it takes a wide circle of contributors to make a book
come to life.
Author Bio:
Patricia
Kiyono was born in Japan and raised in southwest Michigan, where she lives with
her very tolerant husband, near their five children, nine grandchildren, and
two great-grandchildren. Her first career was teaching, which she still does
part-time at a local university. In addition to writing, she likes to sew and
scrapbook. She also loves to travel, always on the lookout for special
locations and historical details for her books.
Blurb:
Tom Cooper left his high-pressure law practice in
Indianapolis for life on an alpaca farm in the tiny northwest Indiana town of
Escape. Though he continued to practice law, the farm provided a good life for
him, his wife, and their four children. But when his wife died, grief consumed
him and the children all left. He’s resigned to doing things alone, but a
disturbing medical diagnosis could change things.
Laurie Matthews left her nursing job in shame. The town of
Escape has welcomed her, and she now owns the local diner. She’s attracted to
the handsome widower who comes in for coffee and a hot meal, but keeps her
distance, because everyone she’s ever loved has died – her grandparents, her
parents, her husband, and one other.
A romantic relationship isn’t on the agenda for either of
them, but when the diner falls on hard times, Tom steps in to help, paving the
way for them both to escape the loneliness in their lives.
Excerpt:
He was no stranger to big city fashion, but the girl
standing in his doorway was unlike anyone he’d ever seen in Indy or Chicago —
or any other place. From her unkempt multi-colored hair down to the tips of her
worn sneakers she oozed rebellion. What was she doing here so far away from a
city? His gaze went back up to her face and he prepared to ask if she was lost,
but her first words shocked the thought from his mind.
“So. You must be Gramps.”
His mouth hung open and she shifted a bit. But the
uncertainty disappeared under a mask of bravado.
“You gonna make me stand out
here? It’s not all that warm, you know.”
He started to step back, but caution reared its head. “Wait.
I don’t know who you are. How do you know me?”
She did an eye-roll. “I just called you Gramps. Doesn’t that
tell you anything? Do I need to spell it out for you?”
“I don’t have any grandchildren.”
“Yeah, you do. Me.” She struck a confident posture and held
out a hand. “Nickie Jones.”
He shook the hand briefly. “So one of my kids had a child
umpteen years ago and never told me?”
“That sums it up.”
“Which one?”
“Michael, I guess.”
“Now I know you’re lying. Michael’s dead.”
“Right. He died before I was born. I didn’t know much about
him — or you — until yesterday.”
Pain gripped his gut as it did every time he thought about
his second son. Of all his children, Tom had had the highest hopes for Michael.
He’d been bright, curious, and ambitious. He’d been accepted into some top
colleges. But he’d been in love with Regan—
He studied the girl again. Almond-shaped brown eyes stared
back at him. That gaze that bore into him, as if reading his mind. “You’re
Regan’s girl.”
Diane's Review:
A touching story about second chances on life and love. Patricia Kiyono brings ordinary characters to life in an unforgettable way. An alpaca farmer and the diner owner have loved and lost. Maybe this time they'll have their happy-ever-after. This book is the first in a series. I'm looking forward to reading the others.