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

Chris Rice Cooper 

caccoop@aol.com

https://www.facebook.com/car.cooper.7

*The images in this specific piece are granted copyright privilege by:  Public Domain, CCSAL, GNU Free Documentation Licenses, Fair Use Under The United States Copyright Law, or given copyright privilege by the copyright holder which is identified beneath the individual photo.

**Some of the links will have to be copied and then posted in your search engine in order to pull up properly

***The CRC Blog welcomes submissions from published and unpublished fiction genre writers for INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION.  Contact CRC Blog via email at caccoop@aol.com or personal Facebook messaging at https://www.facebook.com/car.cooper.7

****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.

linda@lindahughes.com

INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION links

001   11 15 2018 Nathaniel Kaine’s

Thriller Novel

John Hunter – The Veteran

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/11/001-inside-emotion-of-fiction-nathaniel.html

002   11 18 2018 Ed Protzzel’s

Futuristic/Mystery/Thriller

The Antiquities Dealer 

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/11/002-inside-emotion-of-fiction-ed.html

003   11 23 2018 Janice Seagraves’s

Science Fiction Romance

Exodus Arcon

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/11/003-inside-emotion-of-fiction-exodus.html

004   11 29 2018 Christian Fennell’s

Literary Fiction Novel

The Fiddler in the Night

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/11/004-inside-emotion-of-fiction-christian.html

005  12 02 2018 Jessica Mathews’s

Adult Paranormal Romance

Death Adjacent

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/12/5-inside-emotion-of-fiction-jessica.html

006  12 04 2018 Robin Jansen’s

Literary Fiction Novel

Ruby the Indomitable

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/12/006-inside-emotion-of-fiction-robin.html

007  12 12 2018  Adair Valerez’s

Literary Fiction Novel

Scrim

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/12/007-inside-emotion-of-fiction-adair.html

008  12 17 218 Kit Frazier’s

Mystery Novel

Dead Copy

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/12/008-inside-emotion-of-fiction-kit.html

009 12 21 2019 Robert Craven’s

Noir/Spy Novel

The Road of a Thousand Tigers

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/12/009-inside-emotion-of-fiction-robert.html

010 01 13 2019 Kristine Goodfellow’s

Contemporary Romantic Fiction

The Other Twin

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/01/010-inside-emotion-of-fictions-other.html

011 01 17 2019 Nancy J Cohen’s

Cozy Mystery

Trimmed To Death

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/01/11-inside-emotion-of-fiction-nancy.html

012 01 20 2019 Charles Salzberg’s

Crime Novel

Second Story Man

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/01/12-inside-emotion-of-fiction-charles.html

013 01 23 2019 Alexis Fancher’s

Flash Fiction

His Full Attention

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/01/13-inside-emotion-of-fiction-alexis.html

014 01 27 2019 Brian L Tucker’s

Young Adult/Historical

POKEWEED:  AN ILLUSTRATED NOVELLA

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/01/14-inside-emotion-of-fiction-brian-l.html

015 01 31 2019 Robin Tidwell’s

Dystopian

Reduced

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/01/15-inside-emotion-of-ficton-reduced-by.html

016 02 07 2019 J.D. Trafford’s

Legal Fiction/Mystery

Little Boy Lost

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/02/16-inside-emotion-of-fiction-little-boy.html

017 02 08 2019 Paula Shene’s

Young Adult ScieFi/Fantasy/Romance/Adventure

My Quest Begins 

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/02/017-inside-emotion-of-fiction-my-quest.html

018 02 13 2019 Talia Carner’s

Mainstream Fiction/ Suspense/ Historical

Hotel Moscow

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/02/18-inside-emotion-of-fiction-talia.html

019 02 15 2019 Rick Robinson’s

Multidimensional Fiction

Alligator Alley

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/02/19-inside-emotion-of-fiction-rick.html

020 02 21 2019 LaVerne Thompson’s

Urban Fantasy

The Soul Collectors

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/02/20-inside-emotion-of-fictions-soul.html

021 02 27 2019 Marlon L Fick’s

Post-Colonialist Novel

The Nowhere Man

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/02/21-inside-emotion-of-fictions-nowhere.html

022 03 02 2019 Carol Johnson’s

Mainstream Novel

Silk And Ashes

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/03/22-inside-emotion-of-fictions-silk-and.html

023 03 06 2019 Samuel Snoek-Brown’s

Short Story Collection

There Is No Other Way to Worship Them

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/03/23-inside-emotion-of-fictions-there-is.html

024 03 08 2019 Marlin Barton’s

Short Story Collection

Pasture Art

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/03/24-inside-emotion-of-fictions-pasture.html

025 03 18 2019 Laura Hunter’s

Historical Fiction

Beloved Mother

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/03/25-inside-emotion-of-fictions-beloved.html

026 03 21 2019 Maggie Rivers’s

Romance

Magical Mistletoe

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/03/26-inside-emotion-of-fictions-magical.html

027  03 25 2019 Faith Gibson’s

Paranormal Romance

Rafael

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/03/27-inside-emotion-of-fictions-rafael-by.html

028 03 27 2019 Valerie Nieman’s

Tall Tale

To The Bones

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/03/28-inside-emotion-of-fictions-to-bones.html

029 04 04 2019 Betty Bolte’s

Paranormal Romance

Veiled Visions of Love

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/04/29-inside-emotion-of-fictions-veiled.html

030 04 05 2019  Marianne Maili’s

Tragicomedy

Lucy, go see

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/04/30-inside-emotion-of-fictions-lucy-go.html

031 04 10 2019 Gregory Erich Phillips’s

Mainstream Fiction

The Exile

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/04/31-inside-emotion-of-fictions-exile-by.html

032 04 15 2019 Jason Ament’s

Speculative Fiction

Rabid Dogs

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/04/32-inside-emotion-of-fictions-rabid.html

033 04 24 2019 Stephen P. Keirnan’s

Historical Novel

The Baker’s Secret

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/04/33-inside-emotion-of-fictions-bakers.html

034 05 01 2019 George Kramer’s

Fantasy

Arcadis: Prophecy Book

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/05/34-inside-emotion-of-fictions-arcadis.html

035 05 05 2019 Erika Sams’s

Adventure/Fantasy/Romance

Rose of Dance

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/05/35-inside-emotion-of-fictions-rose-of.html

036 05 07 2019 Mark Wisniewski’s

Literary Fiction

Watch Me Go

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/05/36-inside-emotion-of-fictions-watch-me.html

037 05 08 2019 Marci Baun’s

Science Fiction/Horror

The Whispering House

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/05/37-inside-emotion-of-fictions.html

038 05 10 2019 Suzanne M. Wolfe’s

Historical Fiction

Murder By Any Name

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/05/38-inside-emotion-of-fictions-murder-by.html

039 05 12 2019 Edward DeVito’s

Historical/Fantasy

The Woodstock Paradox

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/05/39-inside-emotion-of-fictions-woodstock.html

040 05 14 2019 Gytha Lodge’s

Literary/Crime

She Lies In Wait

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/05/40-inside-emotion-of-fictions-she-lies.html

041 05 16 2019 Kari Bovee’s

Historical Fiction/Mystery

Peccadillo At The Palace:  An Annie Oakley Mystery

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/05/41-inside-emotion-of-fictions.html

042 05 20 2019 Annie Seaton’s

Time Travel Romance

Follow Me

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/05/42-inside-emotion-of-fictions-follow-me.html

043 05 22 2019 Paula Rose Michelson’s

Inspirational Christian Romance

Rosa & Miguel – Love’s Legacy: Prequel to The Naomi

Chronicles

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/05/43-inside-emotion-of-fictions-rosa.html

044 05 24 2019 Gracie C McKeever’s

BDMS/Interracial Romance

On The Edge

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/05/44-inside-emotion-of-fictions-on-edge.html

045 06 03 2019 Micheal Maxwell’s

Mystery

The Soul of Cole

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/06/45-inside-emotion-of-fictions-soul-of.html

046 06 04 2019 Jeanne Mackin’s

Historical

The Last Collection:  A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and

Coco Chanel

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/06/46-inside-emotion-of-fictions-last.html

047 06 07 2019 Philip Shirley’s

Suspense/Thriller

The Graceland Conspiracy

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/06/47-inside-emotion-of-fictions-graceland.html

048 06 08 2019 Bonnie Kistler’s

Domestic Suspense

The House on Fire

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/06/48-inside-emotion-of-fictions-house-on.html

049 06 13 2019 Barbara Taylor Sissel’s

Domestic Suspense/Family Drama

Tell No One

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/06/049-inside-emotion-of-fictions-tell-no.html

050 06 18 2019 Charles Salzberg’s

Short Story/ Crime Fiction

“No Good Deed” from Down to the River

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/06/50-inside-emotion-of-fictions-no-good.html

051 06 19 2019 Rita Dragonette’s

Historical Fiction

The Fourteenth of September

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/06/51-inside-emotion-of-fictions.html

052  06 20 2019 Nona Caspers’s

Literary Novel/Collage

The Fifth Woman

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/06/52-inside-emotion-of-fictions-fifth.html

053 06 26 2019 Jeri Westerson’s

Paranormal Romance

Shadows in the Mist

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/06/53-inside-emotion-of-fictions-shadows.html

054 06 28 2019 Brian Moreland’s

Horror

The Devil’s Woods

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/06/54-inside-emotion-of-fictions-devils.html

055 06 29 2019

Epic Fantasy

Wings Unseen

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/06/55-inside-emotion-of-fiction-wings.html

056 07 02 2019 Randee Green’s

Mystery Novel

Criminal Misdeeds

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/07/56-inside-emotion-of-fiction-criminal.html

057 07 03 2019 Saralyn Ricahrd’s

Mystery Novel

Murder In The One Percent

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/07/57-inside-emotion-of-fiction-murder-in.html

#058 07 04 2019 Hannah Mary McKinnon’s

Domestic Suspense

Her Secret Son

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/07/58-inside-emotion-of-fiction-her-secret.html

#059 07 05 2019 Sonia Saikaley’s

Contemporary Women’s Literature

The Allspice Bath

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/07/59-inside-emotion-of-fiction-allspice.html

#060 07 09 2019 Olivia Gaines’s

Romance Suspense Serial

Blind Luck

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/07/60-inside-emotion-of-fiction-blind-luck.html

#061 07 11 2019 Anne Raeff’s

Literary Fiction

Winter Kept Us Warm

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/07/061-inside-emotion-of-fiction-winter.html

#062 07 12 2918 Vic Sizemore’s

Literary Fiction-Short Stories

I Love You I’m Leaving

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/07/62-inside-emotion-of-fiction-i-love-you.html

#063 07 13 2019 Deborah Riley Magnus’s

Dark Paranormal Urban Fantasy

THE ORPHANS BOOK ONE:  THE LOST RACE

TRILOGY

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/07/f063-inside-emotion-of-fiction-orphans.html

#064 07 14 2019 Elizabeth Bell’s

Historical Fiction

NECESSARY SINS

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/07/064-inside-emotion-of-fiction-necessary.html

#065 07 15 2019 Lori Baker Martin’s

Literary Novel

BITTER WATER

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/07/065-inside-emotion-of-fiction-bitter.html

#066 08 01 2019 Sabine Chennault’s

Historical Novel

THE CORPSMAN’S WIFE

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/08/66-inside-emotion-of-fictions-corpsmans.html

#067 08 02 2019 Margaret Porter’s

Historical Biographical Fiction

BEAUTIFUL INVENTION:  A NOVEL OF HEDY LAMARR

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/08/67-inside-emotion-of-fictions-beautiful.html

#068 08 04 2019 Hank Phillippi Ryan’s

Suspense

THE MURDER LIST

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/08/68-inside-emotion-of-fictions-murder.html

069 08 08 2019 Diana Y. Paul’s

Literary Mainstream Fiction

THINGS UNSAID

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/08/69-inside-emotion-of-fictions-things.html

070 08 10 2019 Phyllis H. Moore’s

Women’s Historical Fiction

BIRDIE & JUDE

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/08/70-inside-emotion-of-fiction-birdie.html

071 08 11 2019 Sara Dahmen’s

Historical Fiction

TINSMITH 1865

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/08/71-inside-emotion-of-fiction-tinsmith.html

072  08 19 2019 Carolyn Breckinridge’s

Short Story Collection

KALIEDESCOPE & OTHER STORIES

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/08/72-inside-emotion-of-fictions.html

073 08 21 2019 Alison Ragsdale’s

Emotional Women’s Fiction

THE ART OF REMEMBERING

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/08/73-inside-emotion-of-fiction-art-of.html

074  08 22 2019 Lee Matthew Goldberg’s

Suspense Thriller

THE DESIRE CARD

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/08/74-inside-emotion-of-fictions-desire.html

075 08 23 2019 Jonathan Brown’s

Mystery/Amateur P.I.

THE BIG CRESCENDO

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/08/75-inside-emotion-of-fictions-big.html

076 09 02 2019 Chera Hammons Miller’s

Literary Fiction w/ suspense, concern with animals & land management

Monarchs of the Northeast Kingdom

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/09/76-inside-emotion-of-fictions-monarchs.html

077 09 09 019 Joe William Taylor’s

Literary Mystery

The Theoretics of Love

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/09/77-inside-emotion-of-fiction-theoretics.html

078 09 15 2019 Linda Hughes’s

Romantic Suspense

Secrets of the Island

https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/09/78-inside-emotion-of-fiction-secrets-of.html