The Evolution of Toxic

To continue from my last blog, where my stories come from, I’d like to share how my next release, Toxic came to be.

I call Toxic (formerly titled Don’t Ask Questions of Fairytales) my starter novel because this was my first full-length manuscript. The entire story derived from a dark period in my life, throwing in a hunky hero, a cast of colorful characters, and of course, romance and suspense.

I started writing seriously in 2004. I lived in Columbus, Texas a small, picturesque town about seventy miles east of Houston. Columbus is my inspiration for the story’s setting. During that time, I worked at a wholesale nursery. We potted, grew, and shipped bedding plants. I held several positions, ending up becoming the shipping supervisor.

My story takes place in a nursery, patterned after the one I worked. The heroine, Gracie Desoto’s life mimicked my own and unlike other characters I’ve created since, her personality is closest to mine. I had an interest in learning landscaping which is where Gracie’s profession materialized. She lives on a river, the Colorado River runs through Columbus, another inspiration, sans the alligators.

Once completed, I set the manuscript aside and left it alone for several years. I moved on, wrote two other books, Echoes and Tomorrow, then decided I was ready go back to Fairytales. A major revise was in order. I took out the personal stuff, made it more romantic and suspenseful. After the revisions, I re-titled it to fit the story.

I’m grateful for this book. The writing helped me clear many personal hurdles. Though not an idea or spark, this particular piece was my therapy, a way of purging an awfulness I experienced, and let me take a giant step as to who I’m supposed to be. I’m excited it’s about to be published. I hope you’ll give it a read.

Release date is September 23rd, and published by The Wild Rose Press.

Cover reveal, blurb, and excerpt coming August 23rd.