Sunday, September 15, 2019

#78 Inside the Emotion of Fiction: "Secrets of the Island" by Linda Hughes



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****Linda Hughes’s Secrets of the Island is the #78 in a never-ending series called INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION where the Chris Rice Cooper Blog (CRC) focuses on one specific excerpt from a fiction genre and how that fiction writer wrote that specific excerpt.  All INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION links are at the end of this piece. 

Name of fiction work? And were there other names you considered that you would like to share with us?    Secrets of the Island.

Has this been published? And it is totally fine if the answer is no.   If yes, what publisher and what publication date? Deeds Publishing, May, 2018.

What is the date you began writing this piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of fiction? Began Sept. 2017, finished Jan. 2018.


Where did you do most of your writing for this fiction work?  And please describe in detail.  And can you please include a photo? Work at my desk at home in Arkansas.

What were your writing habits while writing this work- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day?   I am up early; walk the dogs and ready to work by 9:00. Write until lunchtime; write a couple hours more in the afternoon. But the ruminating and fermenting never ends! I drink one fabulous cup of coffee early on then water. I listen to music, have TCM (old movies) on the background, or quiet. I sometimes play music or have on movies from the era I am writing about. I write mostly at my computer but some pen and paper, too






What is the summary of this specific fiction work? Think you know your heritage? Think again. Dark secrets lurk below the surface of every family tree, as the Sullivan clan discovers in this story about living in the aftermath of generations of deceit.  
     
     When Red Cross nurse Harriet escapes the trauma of World War II and sequesters herself in her grandfather's cottage on Mackinac Island, she has no inkling about her heritage. But as one shocking clue after another surfaces - disclosing lies, corruption, madness, and murder - she realizes her family isn't what, or who, it seems. She's not the first to hold unspeakable secrets in her soul. Unearthing deceptions from the past gives Harriet the strength to face her fears and her future. Others before her survived their horrific travails, showing that she can, too. Harriet and her loved ones emerge above the fray of their entangled roots, enlightening their lives as never before.

Can you give the reader just enough information for them to understand what is going on in the excerpt? Although this is the second book of a trilogy, each book in this sweeping family saga stands alone. It's 1943 when Harriet suffers traumatic abuse in WWII, but discovering the unspeakable secret tragedies of her ancestors gives her strength to carry on.

Please include the excerpt and include page numbers as reference.  The excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer.
P. 247
"I... I can't get on the boat."
Her grandfather studied her. "Ah, I see. Do you want me to have Benjamin (the driver) take you and the baby home?"
Harriet attempted to gulp down her anxiety. "I can't leave the island."
Harry came over to them with Ellie at his side. Harry looked resolved; Ellie looked concerned.
"It's a panic attack," he said. "Common with shell shock."
"I don't care what it is," Harriet snapped. "I can't get on the boat." The edge in her voice caused Summer (her baby) to stir. Harriet looked at Harry apologetically.
"It's okay," Harry reassured.
"Yes, that's fine," Herbert soothed. "You and the baby go back to the house and we'll go on to Traverse City so your parents won't be totally disappointed. We'll only be gone for two nights. Will you be okay at the house without us?"
They stood on the dock waiting for the ferry, their luggage piled beside them. Harriet looked back toward the house. Alone. It hadn't occurred to her she'd be there alone. She looked at the ferry out on the lake, quickly approaching the dock. She looked beyond the lake to the strip of mainland she could see on the horizon. Past that was Traverse City. Could she make it that far away from her island, her home, her haven?
Her breath quickened; her heart raced; she couldn't think.

Why is this excerpt so emotional for you?  And can you describe your own emotional experience of writing this specific excerpt? After suffering "shell shock" (called PTSD today) as a Red Cross nurse in Tunisia during WWII, Harriet retreats to her grandfather's cottage on an island to have her baby. 

But she becomes so attached to the island she can't leave, experiencing an anxiety attack upon being confronted with a boat trip to the mainland. Anxiety attacks are common for many reasons, from the simple, like an elevator ride, to the life-threatening, like being shot at during an attack. Many readers have suffered from them and will identify with this passage. I myself have had anxiety attacks, including when confronted with getting on a boat to leave the island, which is one of my favorite places on earth. Harriet ultimately gives hope to those who suffer from anxiety attacks (sometimes called panic attacks), when she finally takes a step onto the boat. My wish is that I offer hope, too, seeing that here I am, writing about the paralyzing effects of panic attacks.

Were there any deletions from this excerpt that you can share with us? And can you please include a photo of your marked up rough drafts of this excerpt. There are no deletions. I have no marked up rough draft. I do all of my work on the computer. So once it's fixed, that's it.

Other works you have published?  Becoming Jessie Belle, Home-
coming Queen, Fountain Street Heat, Tough Rocks, The Spark that Survived, What We Talk about When We’re Over 60, Atlanta’s Real Women, and more.

     I started writing very early on. After many years in a career where I traveled the world, I became a college professor and began writing seriously. I now write full time. I have a bunch of degrees, including a doctorate, which taught me how to do deep, rich research. I Love researching the history of the time periods in my books.



INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION links

001   11 15 2018 Nathaniel Kaine’s
Thriller Novel
John Hunter – The Veteran

002   11 18 2018 Ed Protzzel’s
Futuristic/Mystery/Thriller
The Antiquities Dealer 

003   11 23 2018 Janice Seagraves’s
Science Fiction Romance
Exodus Arcon

004   11 29 2018 Christian Fennell’s
Literary Fiction Novel
The Fiddler in the Night

005  12 02 2018 Jessica Mathews’s
Adult Paranormal Romance
Death Adjacent

006  12 04 2018 Robin Jansen’s
Literary Fiction Novel
Ruby the Indomitable

007  12 12 2018  Adair Valerez’s
Literary Fiction Novel
Scrim

008  12 17 218 Kit Frazier’s
Mystery Novel
Dead Copy

009 12 21 2019 Robert Craven’s
Noir/Spy Novel
The Road of a Thousand Tigers

010 01 13 2019 Kristine Goodfellow’s
Contemporary Romantic Fiction
The Other Twin

011 01 17 2019 Nancy J Cohen’s
Cozy Mystery
Trimmed To Death

012 01 20 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Crime Novel
Second Story Man

013 01 23 2019 Alexis Fancher’s
Flash Fiction
His Full Attention

014 01 27 2019 Brian L Tucker’s
Young Adult/Historical
POKEWEED:  AN ILLUSTRATED NOVELLA

015 01 31 2019 Robin Tidwell’s
Dystopian
Reduced

016 02 07 2019 J.D. Trafford’s
Legal Fiction/Mystery
Little Boy Lost

017 02 08 2019 Paula Shene’s
Young Adult ScieFi/Fantasy/Romance/Adventure
My Quest Begins 

018 02 13 2019 Talia Carner’s
Mainstream Fiction/ Suspense/ Historical
Hotel Moscow

019 02 15 2019 Rick Robinson’s
Multidimensional Fiction
Alligator Alley

020 02 21 2019 LaVerne Thompson’s
Urban Fantasy
The Soul Collectors

021 02 27 2019 Marlon L Fick’s
Post-Colonialist Novel
The Nowhere Man

022 03 02 2019 Carol Johnson’s
Mainstream Novel
Silk And Ashes

023 03 06 2019 Samuel Snoek-Brown’s
Short Story Collection
There Is No Other Way to Worship Them

024 03 08 2019 Marlin Barton’s
Short Story Collection
Pasture Art

025 03 18 2019 Laura Hunter’s
Historical Fiction
Beloved Mother

026 03 21 2019 Maggie Rivers’s
Romance
Magical Mistletoe

027  03 25 2019 Faith Gibson’s
Paranormal Romance
Rafael

028 03 27 2019 Valerie Nieman’s
Tall Tale
To The Bones

029 04 04 2019 Betty Bolte’s
Paranormal Romance
Veiled Visions of Love

030 04 05 2019  Marianne Maili’s
Tragicomedy
Lucy, go see

031 04 10 2019 Gregory Erich Phillips’s
Mainstream Fiction
The Exile


032 04 15 2019 Jason Ament’s
Speculative Fiction
Rabid Dogs

033 04 24 2019 Stephen P. Keirnan’s
Historical Novel
The Baker’s Secret

034 05 01 2019 George Kramer’s
Fantasy
Arcadis: Prophecy Book

035 05 05 2019 Erika Sams’s
Adventure/Fantasy/Romance
Rose of Dance

036 05 07 2019 Mark Wisniewski’s
Literary Fiction
Watch Me Go

037 05 08 2019 Marci Baun’s
Science Fiction/Horror
The Whispering House

038 05 10 2019 Suzanne M. Wolfe’s
Historical Fiction
Murder By Any Name

039 05 12 2019 Edward DeVito’s
Historical/Fantasy
The Woodstock Paradox

040 05 14 2019 Gytha Lodge’s
Literary/Crime
She Lies In Wait

041 05 16 2019 Kari Bovee’s
Historical Fiction/Mystery
Peccadillo At The Palace:  An Annie Oakley Mystery

042 05 20 2019 Annie Seaton’s
Time Travel Romance
Follow Me

043 05 22 2019 Paula Rose Michelson’s
Inspirational Christian Romance
Rosa & Miguel – Love’s Legacy: Prequel to The Naomi
Chronicles

044 05 24 2019 Gracie C McKeever’s
BDMS/Interracial Romance
On The Edge

045 06 03 2019 Micheal Maxwell’s
Mystery
The Soul of Cole

046 06 04 2019 Jeanne Mackin’s
Historical
The Last Collection:  A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and
Coco Chanel

047 06 07 2019 Philip Shirley’s
Suspense/Thriller
The Graceland Conspiracy


048 06 08 2019 Bonnie Kistler’s
Domestic Suspense
The House on Fire

049 06 13 2019 Barbara Taylor Sissel’s
Domestic Suspense/Family Drama
Tell No One

050 06 18 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Short Story/ Crime Fiction
“No Good Deed” from Down to the River

051 06 19 2019 Rita Dragonette’s
Historical Fiction
The Fourteenth of September

052  06 20 2019 Nona Caspers’s
Literary Novel/Collage
The Fifth Woman


053 06 26 2019 Jeri Westerson’s
Paranormal Romance
Shadows in the Mist

054 06 28 2019 Brian Moreland’s
Horror
The Devil’s Woods

055 06 29 2019
Epic Fantasy
Wings Unseen

056 07 02 2019 Randee Green’s
Mystery Novel
Criminal Misdeeds

057 07 03 2019 Saralyn Ricahrd’s
Mystery Novel
Murder In The One Percent

#058 07 04 2019 Hannah Mary McKinnon’s
Domestic Suspense
Her Secret Son

#059 07 05 2019 Sonia Saikaley’s
Contemporary Women’s Literature
The Allspice Bath

#060 07 09 2019 Olivia Gaines’s
Romance Suspense Serial
Blind Luck

#061 07 11 2019 Anne Raeff’s
Literary Fiction
Winter Kept Us Warm

#062 07 12 2918 Vic Sizemore’s
Literary Fiction-Short Stories
I Love You I’m Leaving

#063 07 13 2019 Deborah Riley Magnus’s
Dark Paranormal Urban Fantasy
THE ORPHANS BOOK ONE:  THE LOST RACE
TRILOGY

#064 07 14 2019 Elizabeth Bell’s
Historical Fiction
NECESSARY SINS

#065 07 15 2019 Lori Baker Martin’s
Literary Novel
BITTER WATER

#066 08 01 2019 Sabine Chennault’s
Historical Novel
THE CORPSMAN’S WIFE

#067 08 02 2019 Margaret Porter’s
Historical Biographical Fiction

BEAUTIFUL INVENTION:  A NOVEL OF HEDY LAMARR

#068 08 04 2019 Hank Phillippi Ryan’s
Suspense
THE MURDER LIST

069 08 08 2019 Diana Y. Paul’s
Literary Mainstream Fiction
THINGS UNSAID

070 08 10 2019 Phyllis H. Moore’s
Women’s Historical Fiction
BIRDIE & JUDE

071 08 11 2019 Sara Dahmen’s
Historical Fiction
TINSMITH 1865

072  08 19 2019 Carolyn Breckinridge’s
Short Story Collection
KALIEDESCOPE & OTHER STORIES

073 08 21 2019 Alison Ragsdale’s
Emotional Women’s Fiction
THE ART OF REMEMBERING

074  08 22 2019 Lee Matthew Goldberg’s
Suspense Thriller
THE DESIRE CARD

075 08 23 2019 Jonathan Brown’s
Mystery/Amateur P.I.
THE BIG CRESCENDO

076 09 02 2019 Chera Hammons Miller’s
Literary Fiction w/ suspense, concern with animals & land management
Monarchs of the Northeast Kingdom

077 09 09 019 Joe William Taylor’s
Literary Mystery
The Theoretics of Love

078 09 15 2019 Linda Hughes’s
Romantic Suspense
Secrets of the Island

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