So as the final curtain is about to fall on the series, A Song of the Swan, I am left with mixed feelings. I am overjoyed by the way it turned out, exceeding much more than my expectations. Many people have commented on how much they have loved the series and how deep are the characters. The story line evolves from a drama about a 16-year-old runaway, who takes on life alone with her dog Piglet. Then, as the story progresses, it’s clear there is so much more going on.
Suncrest is making life difficult for Jamie, in particular, who takes the worst of their wrath. Antagonists such as Terra Gumbo and Madaline have taken on their roles to bring a necessary darkness to this story. This is all before Victoria has her say as the story closes.
When I finished, I had one more story to cover, and that is Annabel’s, which has proven to be an even more interesting back story, stealing the show herself. Before the last act, I want to touch on a few interesting things.
Why did I need two versions of The Unbreakable Will?
This because of several reasons. One, the original version, focused more on the romantic life of Gracie. It was more inspirational, set as a conversion story, speaking of how she found God. The Unbreakable Will in this story was how it relates to how I saw God’s love. I also intended this story to be a sequel to The Caticles, which is why there are so many chapters with cats and dogs speaking to one another. It was also supposed to be centrally based on her love life.
When I first imagined this story, there would be four novels. One that focused on Gracie and how she found God and love, the second that focused on her mother’s life and how she found love. Another novel was supposed to describe Jessie (the character Jamie was named originally), and the final one would focus on how Gracie’s child would find love. The book had the name Love’s True Destiny as the series for the focus on — you guessed it, love.
Why did I stop writing?
When I finished the second book and started on the third, I lost interest in the story as it did not work out the way I wanted it to. In the Book, The Secrets She Holds, was much more dramatic, but in the end, I felt they covered the same points. So, I dropped the series.
What problems did I have with the first story?
When some of my friends found the book and encouraged me to continue my writing, I examined the story. I had several fundamental problems. One was the romance and inspirational direction of the first book was really two separate stories. They are both valid but were incompatible for the direction I wanted to take this. The major problem I found was at the beginning of the book. In it, Gracie runs from home, but Helen never comes after her. In fact, you don’t see her until late in the book. Why would a mother not come after her child was a showstopper? I thought of only three reasons for this. Either drugs or alcohol addiction, which she had none, mental illness, which she had some, but not enough to justify this. The third one was she could not come because someone or something was preventing her. And so, Suncrest was born.
Who was Suncrest?
I knew this reason had to be stronger than the earth itself, and I feel I nailed it with the creation of the megacorporation. So Suncrest became my wicked evil organization which had unimaginable resources. I felt they were the true murders of Gracie’s father. While I touched on this in part in the first book, the second one was clearer. Suncrest was the real reason Helen could not come after Gracie, because if she did, it would have caused them to target her, making her life as fodder. And so, Helen made the cruel decision to stay home as she watched her daughter alone.
What happened to the cats and dogs?
I cut the cat and dog scenes down to a minimum, since this was no longer the focus of the story. While the story still has a romantic feel, I also cut the focus on the inspirational seeking God story, too. This was because once again, the stories are separate and don’t work with what I was going for. So, I used this in the background of Gracie’s character.
What about the other stories?
Now that I am nearly finished, this leaves me with a bunch of significant stories, but which never truly found a home. This includes the story of Gracie and Derrick’s first kiss. (The one in the book was not actually their first one.) The inspirational story of Gracie finding God, and the rest of the characters. What about Heather, who pops up in dreams? And what about those crazy felines? For these stories, I felt it was good to include them in another book of short stories. The reason I have since chosen against this is that I have my blog. This is where these stories will go.
So, while I have a great rich story which focuses on the paranormal of seeing angels and spiritual gifts as superpowers, I can also go back and tell the authentic story which I could not complete. I hope you enjoy this wonderful adventure, for I have so many more things to share.