A Watershed Year by Susan Schoenberger pubs today!!
This publication is especially exciting for me because Susan and I worked closely together to revise the manuscript and get it sold to the right publisher (Guideposts). Susan's writing is incredibly solid and moving, so the base was always there, but we worked on the POV (third-person or first-person?), the structure of the plot, and the title (the book was originally titled Intercession). Susan is a newspaper report and I think her work in newspapers has really honed her editorial skills. She's an ace reviser. Each draft of the book just got stronger and stronger-- and I loved this book the first chapter, so that's no easy feat! I'm so proud of her and thrilled that her hard work has payed off.
The thing that stands out for me with this book is the idea of how the things we don't say can change our lives.
In The Watershed Year, Lucy has been in love with Harlan for years, but she's never told him how she feels. The timing just hasn't been right. So she's devastated when Harlan is diagnosed with cancer. And throughout the year leading up to his death that perfect moment never presents itself. Months after his death she returns to her desk to find an email from Harlan, one of many that he's programmed for her to receive monthly, revealing all of the things he couldn't say to her. In one of his emails, Haraln says something that strikes a chord with Lucy: he's certain that she should be a mother and it puts Lucy on a path to stop living inside her head and to start living out her dreams.
I've read this book multiple times and every time it makes me cry. Sounds odd to say, but I hope it makes you cry, too!
Okay, I've left nothing unsaid in this blog post. Except: go out, buy the book, and tell your friends! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment