I'm a VK dreamer, a distant VK dreamer, dreaming VK far and away. . .

Mount Hood from the airplane

The ending of my book came to me yesterday. I never know the ending to things. I never really know the middle. I usually just know a Starting Place and I Start there and then see where the character(s) will take me.

However, since I've already written and published Virginia Kate and Tender Graces, I already know some things. From TG, I knew some things had happened to her because she said it in the first book: that she was married and then she wasn't. That she had an "empty womb that wouldn't be filled." That she had an adoptive daughter. That she didn't know where she would end up (in her present day life)--the mountains that called to her, or where she lived for so long and found a new family. So, this is different from how I usually write, knowing these kinds of things ahead of time and writing around them. I had to figure out how much I wanted to write about in this 2nd book - since there is a planned "trilogy" of Virginia Kate Sagas (and I don't know if there will be more than 3, I can't think beyond book 2). I also need to make each book stand alone--the reader should be able to read any of the VK sagas and feel a completion, but I also hope they will want to pick up the other books just by reading one! of course . . . laughing . . .

So, I have decided on what kinds of things I'll address in the second book and am dealing with those - some very sad, some funny, some cathartic. Virginia Kate is growing up in this second book. It takes her from about 18 and in college and until maybe I think she is in her early 30s - we'll see about that, but I believe that is where she'll end up in book 2 (of course, she is still the 50something woman writing her memories down - she's still in WVA at momma's house where I left her in book 1).

I know some people may want to know some thing(s) that aren't answering in book2, but if I tried to answer everything, the book would be so heavy. It's not to "trick" the reader into buying the next book, because I don't like that (that's why I am not writing a "Series" where you MUST purchase every book or else they aren't "complete") - instead, I am going for balance and not having so much going on that the book feels heavy.

So yesterday I was writing a letter that Micah sent to Virginia Kate (or I should say, VK was reading the letter Micah sent) and it was based on something VK says in the Tender Graces book near the end in the "present day (Today)" chapters. After I wrote out the letter from Micah to VK, the next day, the scene that dealt with the letter began to emerge, and suddenly, I knew that was the end of the past chapters in book2 - I just "knew" it - it would be the perfect ending and I hope the perfect Past Chapters ending for readers.

I wake up every day grateful for my life. My writing life. My mountain life. My wonderful life.

I'll have a "Presenting" probably tomorrow...