Permission to Walk Away

The synopsis for True Surrender is as finished as it's going to be. (We'll see how long that lasts!)

But an interesting thing happened during the 5-month-long writing of the (2-page!) synopsis. I found some things I wanted to change to make the main character's personal transformation more believable and compelling. The challenge, as usual, is to integrate the changes into the storyline!

There was also a chapter I hadn't finished. I knew what affect I wanted to have on the character (Major Aaron Bricewick) by chapter's end, but I hadn't been able to nail down THE sequence that gives it strong 'impact-ability' ... probably because I'd worked too closely on the novel for so long (2 years and counting).

In the four weeks since I gave myself permission to accept the synopsis and walk away from the project for awhile (I even worked on a short story idea for a bit), at least ONE of these issues has become clearer to me (the unfinished chapter).

So perhaps these unexpected benefits of the process of writing the synopsis will make the time I've spent worth it (believe me, I've questioned that many times!). Certainly it will make for a stronger story!

Interview with Jessie Van Dyke, Iraq war veteran, paramedic and search-and-rescue team member

And here is another peek behind the scenes of Last Chance Rescue (psst: buy it today!)...

So, what were you doing before Last Chance Rescue?
I spent twelve months in Iraq as a paramedic before moving to Colorado, and I'd been in Colorado for a couple years when this all started.

What was Iraq like?
I don't like to talk about it much. It was pretty intense.

Didn't you get married after that?
I don't like to talk about that, either. I'm a pretty private person.

What did you think of Brad when you saw him at the reunion?
I thought he was shallow, but it underneath that I could sense a little vulnerability. I was curious what he'd do if I challenged him on it.

Is that why you took him on that first ride-along?
I could see he wanted it badly, and the guys were like, 'ah, come on, let him come.' It wasn't really my decision; it was the team leader's. It was supposed to be a routine search; Brad was not supposed to see what he saw...

How did he end up on your search-and-rescue team?
I have no idea! I sure never expected him to move to Colorado! Or to get out of advertising altogether. That was a pretty big, hairy, audacious thing to do! But I will say, he's damn good at it.

So what do you do to pay the bills?
I work as a physical therapy assistant. It's a pretty sweet deal. They're supportive of the search-and-rescue team and they cut me a lot of slack.

What do you do with your spare time?
I spend whatever extra time I have at Last Chance Ranch. I even 'adopted' a horse named Mistletoe, who'd been on the Premarin production line. And you won't want to miss the birth of her baby, Holly!

Have you been riding long?
I hadn't the first clue about horses when I moved to Colorado; all I knew was that they were the most magnificent creatures I'd ever seen. When I left the service, I had to make a delivery to Madeline, the owner of Last Chance Ranch -- it was a favor I owed a dead friend -- and the moment I set foot there I knew it was a healing place. Once I learned to ride, I was hooked.

I heard you have a 'thing' for cowboys.
[chuckles] I've always been attracted to cowboys. They have very nice behinds and they tend to be the strong, silent type.

How about a certain cowboy in Last Chance Rescue?
No comment!