A Little Bit About Mattie

It's less than a week before The Survivor is released, and I have to admit to being a little melancholy about it. Like Lilly in the The Seasons of Sugarcreek books, Mattie Lapp has been a reoccurring character in The Families of Honor series. I'm going to miss Mattie!

Those of you who've been reading the 'Family' books know that The Caregiver opens with the heroine on her way to help nurse Mattie, who's just had a mastectomy and is about to start chemotherapy. Writing about her struggles with her faith and her health weren't easy to write. I did a lot of research about the emotional journeys some cancer patients take, and even read daily blogs about one girl's struggles.  Some days I just wanted to make Mattie's life easier. It was tempting to make her feel less pain, and feel less desolated.

Luckily, Mattie's relationship with her friend Graham was very easy to write. I knew Mattie needed as many people around her who were willing to help her become a survivor. And in The Caregiver and The Protector, those scenes between Graham and Mattie were some of my favorites.

When I began to write The Survivor, I knew I had to give them conflict and a story of their own. While I was writing the book, I was tempted more than once to ask my editor what she thought of oh, 300 pages and Mattie and Graham getting along… I knew that idea wouldn't go over very well, though!

So I dug a little deeper and thought about what it means to be a 'survivor'…and that is what the book is about. It's about surviving tough experiences, or lies, or gossip, or hardship, or cancer. And it's about Mattie and Graham Weaver finally having their own happily ever after.

I can't wait for y'all to tell me what you think of it. If you haven't preordered it, I hope you will, either on www.cbd.com, or www.amazon.com, or on www.barnesandnoble.com . Or please ask your library to put it on their shelves.

Below is the link for a Giveaway from Blackstone Audio! They're offering signed copies of the audio versions of The Caregiver and The Protector. All you have to do is leave a comment to be eligible! Even if you're not interested, I hope you'll stop by…their covers for the books are different but very pretty.

http://blog.blackstoneaudio.com/archives/4855

with blessings to you,

Shelley