Channeling the Frogman

I know…I know…super hot pic there. I have no idea who this guy is but kudos on the V-taper, stud! Photo courtesy of http://im41.com/

When I wrote my first novel, The Path to Freedom, it just came to me like a movie playing out in my head.  The characters sprang forth in my mind complete with strengths, weaknesses and histories.  The scenario appeared and the characters told me the story as it played out in my dreams.  Upon waking, I’d write the parts of the story they’d provided overnight.

A Taste of Liberty and Freedom’s Promise are two books I took a little heat for in reviews.  To some readers, they didn’t measure up to The Path to Freedom.  Situational depression, medication taken upon suggestion of the source of my situational depression and parenthood all played a part in my distraction while writing them.

I started writing Stealing Liberties in Colorado.  My marriage was sinking like the Titanic and then an opportunity came up for my then husband to take Air Force orders to Texas.  Thinking a change might help, I encouraged him to take the assignment.  All the while, I tried to write Stealing Liberties but it seemed too fluid.  It slipped through my fingers and came hard, not at all like The Path to Freedom.  The storyline became difficult and tangled, much like my own life.  As it happened, the change didn’t help anything.  The marriage was beyond help and we split up.  Then I had to focus my time and energy on getting my financial feet on the ground.  There was no savings and my ex had military housing so it wasn’t like I could just kick him out.  I had to be the one to go.  It was a long road and Stealing Liberties was tabled in favor of earning a living, finding a home and recalibrating my entire paradigm.

When I finally finished Stealing Liberties, it represented a major shift for both me and Sarah Stevens.  The men in our lives weren’t strong enough to stay there.  When Sarah and Jay found each other, I felt they deserved some time to just BE, before I put them through more adventures.  Just because Sarah found her perfect man and I hadn’t was no reason to put her through the wringer!

Then, one day, I had an imaginary chat with Brian Allen.  Jason, Chris and Will were quite satisfied taking a long vacation with pay on a yacht in the Mediterranean but Brian wanted some action.

So I started toying with the idea and I realized that all of his womanizing was just his immense need to find that love of his life.

What if he found the love of his life and she gave him the brush off?  That would suck, right?

Brian is a man of action.  If he wants something, he’ll go get it.

What if he couldn’t pursue her because she’d been kidnapped?  He’d go rescue her, right?

You’ve met Brian’s mother in Sarah’s Summer.  The woman of Brian’s dreams will have brass.  She can probably save herself.

But what if she escapes her kidnappers and something even worse happens and Brian has no way of finding her?

NOW THAT’S A STORY!

I’ve named it Kissing the Frogman for want of a better working title.  I’ve been channeling the story lately and I find it coming to me faster and faster every day.  You can follow my writing progress on the front page of my website at www.LisaPietsch.com.

PS: Just in case you took a peek, yes, I plan on writing Tracey’s story after I finish Brian’s.  Readers will finally be able to find out what Tracey did after her training at The Camp with Sarah Stevens.