One of the best things about writing and publishing a novel was meeting different authors. It's my pleasure to feature Christine Hughes. Her debut novel, TORN, is setting the publishing world on fire, earning an honorable mention at the Hollywood Book Festival. Now, Christine is preparing to release her second novel, Three Days of Rain. And I, for one, can't wait to see what else Christine has up her sleeves.
Thanks for stopping by Christine...
Hi all! I’d like to thank Leslie for allowing me some time on her blog. She and I are publishing sisters through Black Opal Books. My first novel, TORN, was released last June and I am so happy with the way it has been received. My second novel, Three Days of Rain, is due out this Saturday January 5, 2013. What a way to ring in the New Year, right? The thing is, I am a bit nervous. More nervous than when I published my first novel. You see, TORN was a YA paranormal. Three Days of Rain is Women’s Fiction. The nerves come from a place of love, though. I love how my readers embraced my paranormal angst and following my teens through the trials and tribulations of saving the world from devils and demons. What makes me a bit anxious is that Three Days of Rain is NOTHING like TORN. There are no paranormal creatures, no otherworldly wars or fights. It’s a story of love, of loss, of redemption. Will my readers follow me here? Will they be willing to use up a box of tissues to dry their tears? In an age of self-publishing, small press publishing and every-author-for-himself, I wonder if changing up genres will help me achieve my goals.
I feel comfortable with Three Days of Rain. As a matter or fact, I think it’s a better story than TORN. Don’t get me wrong, TORN is and always will be my first baby but Three Days of Rain – well, it was a bitch to write. I felt every emotion I poured into my main character, Jake. I felt every betrayal Madison threw at him. I melted, just a little, when Lily finally showed him how to break down his walls. I cried writing the book, I cried editing the book – through ever last editorial step, I cried. Always at the same fork in the road. I hope that readers will embrace this novel. I was exhausted when I finished writing it. Mentally and emotionally drained. It hurt to close the door on Jake’s story. It hurt not to end his journey with a tidy happily-ever-after. I think, though, I needed to write this story. I needed to purge something from my soul. I needed to show the world I was capable of not necessarily following market trends.
Three Days of Rain is everything I could want it to be. Three Days of Rain is funny, sad, frustrating, and uplifting. Jake’s journey is just that, a journey. I hope that readers will embrace it for what it is. A story about a broken man who, despite obstacles and curve-balls, learns how to live again.
Blurb:
Just when he thought his life was turning around...
Things haven’t been easy for Jacob Morgan. Persecuted by the ghosts of his past, Jake lives each day just going through the motions, barely getting by. Then Lily Burns comes to town and befriends him. As Jake starts to heal, he begins to hope that he has finally overcome the mistakes and tragedies that have tormented him for so long. But just when he thinks his problems are solved, his past comes back to haunt him, and once again, Jake is confronted by situations he is ill-equipped to handle. Can Jake hold on to the progress he has made, or will the lies, guilt, and secrets he’s tried to ignore shove him back into an abyss from which there is no escape?
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