The Characters Take Over in a New MAP

I write character-driven novels, so I'm accustomed to my characters taking over and dictating the novel to me. However, in the latest book I've started, it came with a new twist. This time, I would not have chosen for one of my main characters to be half Indian, but she insisted that's who she was from the very beginning. I've never had this happen before I started to write the rough draft.

Grandma's Match for Garrett was a last-minute addition to my 2024 schedule, and it's set to publish in January. Caryl McAdoo offered me the opportunity to write in her new multiple-author project, Grandmother Knows Best. I was intrigued and agreed. Beginning a new novel or a new MAP is always exciting, and I can't wait to see how this one unfolds.

I have my two main characters, Garrett Oliver from Cades Cove, Tennessee, and Wren Hudson from Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Grandma Hazel Griffin will also play an important secondary role. After her second husband dies, Hazel asks that her sister's family send one of the four boys west to help her out on her ranch, and they send the youngest, Garrett. 

Cover designer, Randi Gammons is working on my cover now. I've never worked with Randi before, but I've seen some of her work, and it's lovely, so I'm looking forward to seeing what she creates for me. I'll be giving more details about all this later, as things progress. I hope my readers are as excited about the possibilities as I am.

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