How The Society Almost Got Thrown Out

The Elizabeth Grant thriller, The Society, was nearly one of those manuscripts that sat in the drawer gathering dust. It started nearly fifteen years ago, and the plot and concept evolved over the years. Initially, I wanted to use repressed memories slowly surfacing to reveal the secret society and conspiracy. Over the years that changed to a very reluctant young woman who sees ghosts. Her ability isn’t welcome, and she fears it is a myriad of other problems from mental illness to a brain tumor. Once that element settled in, I was writing in earnest.

As part of my author journey, I joined a critique group and scenes/concepts were challenged. I learned what worked and what needed work. I grew as a writer, and the plot was strengthened as a result. I gained support for my story, which became key later. But, I took a side trip and wrote not just one, but three cozy mysteries under a pen name since they were very different styles. Even though The Society was back-burnered, I was still working on it and the first draft was three-fourths done when history stepped in.

For the first time in modern history, the KKK openly endorsed a presidential candidate, and it didn’t adversely hurt the candidate’s campaign. Doubts assailed me that my book I’d spent years growing and working on was now passé. Who would believe you needed a secret society to enact a white nationalist agenda when it seemed you could openly run? I feared my carefully cultivated book that I deeply wanted to see completed and published was now too dated.

That’s when my fellow writers and critique partners continued to encourage me to finish the last chapters and plow through the edits. They persisted through my waffling and doubts until I relented. Rather than my plot being dated, I realized it was actually very timely and “ripped from the headlines” without my intending to make it that way.

The Society almost didn’t get finished, let alone published. Looking back, I am so grateful for all the persistent encouragement to finish the book I had spent years laboring over.

I am grateful to all those who encouraged me to finish the book.

CG Abbot