Blogiversary | Guest Post by Amanda Gale – Writing Book Four

WRITING BOOK FOUR IN THE MEREDITH SERIES

GUEST POST BY AMANDA GALE

TITLE: Meredith With the Waves (The Meredith Series Book Four)

PUBLISHER: Brenda & Cobena Books

PUBLICATION DATE: July 3, 2014

GENRE: Women’s Fiction, Romance

“She did not expect perfection of others—she needed to stop expecting it of herself.”

I have a special fondness for Book Four. It’s the book in which Meredith finally finds her purpose, in which the lessons she learned in the first three books become meaningful. While I don’t have a “favorite” book—each book is unique, and I love them all for different reasons—Book Four is the most personal to me, both in its content and in the process by which it came to be.

Book Four does not follow a traditional story arch; it does not introduce one conflict, build up to a single, definitive climax, and resolve cleanly. Instead, it presents intermingling conflicts that Meredith works through during her daily life. I think this less defined path is illustrative of reality. I enjoyed writing Book Four because I felt free to loosen the structure and follow the flow of my thoughts, and Meredith’s. It weaves in and out, and all the threads tie together in the end.

This book also solidifies that the series is about Meredith’s personal growth, not her search for a partner. The first three books follow her through three relationships, but Book Four continues for over 300 pages after the man with whom she settles down is revealed. In some ways, Book Four is merely the beginning of her story, because it is only when her life slows down that she can contemplate what she’s been through and assess what it all means. Her relationships are not the purpose of the series but rather the vehicles through which she learns about herself.

On a more personal note, I wrote Book Four in part to satisfy my own desire for closure. As a reader, I am often frustrated by the sensation of wanting more at the end of a book. I want to know what happens next, where the characters go after the conflict has been resolved. Book Four shows readers what happens next in Meredith’s life. As we follow her into Book Four, we know her even more intimately.

Meredith is not the only character whose heart is further explored in Book Four. The series is also about the men in her life, her friends, and her family. I wanted to dig more deeply into what haunts them, to show them overcoming their personal demons, or in some cases, their inability to do so. A special new character is introduced, one who offers Meredith the opportunity to test strength she never knew she had.

This book is about the joy and heartache of everyday life, about rising and falling with the waves. It deals with birth, death, love, friendship, and the sometimes tenuous ties of family. It’s a celebration of our persistence as we push forward in a world that is sometimes too much with us. It’s where Meredith truly comes to life, where we see her happy and at peace. In that way, to me, though it deviates from the path of the first three books, it is actually the most important of them all.

THE MEREDITH SERIES BUY LINKS:

AMAZON | B&N

ABOUT AMANDA

A graduate of Vassar College and Boston University, Amanda Gale taught high school English before she began writing women’s fiction. She loves history, classic literature, and quiet nights at home. She lives outside Philadelphia with her family. (Photo Credit: Lisa Schaffer Photography)

AMANDA GALE GIVEAWAY

Amanda has generously provided an e-book copy of the entire series. Her giveaway is running from March 22nd-29th.

Enter here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

STORIES UNFOLDED BLOGIVERSARY GIVEAWAY

Don’t forget to enter the Stories Unfolded Blogiversary Giveaway that’s running from March 1st – March 31st.

(1) Grand Prize Winner

$25 Amazon Kindle Gift Card
(1) Signed physical copy of The End of Feeling by Cindy C Bennett
(1) Audiobook of The End of Feeling by Cindy C Bennett
(1) Signed physical copy of Family Inheritance by Terri Ann Leidich
(1) Signed physical copy of From a Grieving Mother’s Heart by Terri Ann Leidich
(1) Signed physical copy of For a Grieving Heart by Terri Ann Leidich
(1) Physical copy of Finding Zoe by Brandi Rarus and Gail Harris
(1) E-Book copy of the Off The Map Series by Lia Riley (Upside Down, Sideswiped, & Inside Out)
(1) E-Book copy of any Ginger Scott book
(1) E-Book copy of Cemetery Tours and Between Worlds by Jacqueline Smith
(1) E-Book copies of three children’s books by Alva Sachs (Circus Fever, I’m 5, & On Your Mark, Get Set,Go!)