I wrote this post in 2020 but wanted to re-share it because my heart and mind have been holding space for writers lately.
And scroll down for a NEW sweet romance release đź’ž
“Maybe it’s not living a double life,” she said. “Maybe it’s an ability to compartmentalize effectively.” And I realized she had a point. Maybe some people can separate one thing from the other as a way to thrive no matter where they are. This theme of compartmentalization has been coming up a lot lately. My work as a writer and an editor has been focused on the stories of the partners of those in the aforementioned title: The biker, the thief and the small-town mayor.
I’m currently editing a memoir for one of my friends who happens to have been married to a biker. Her story of denial, addiction, recovery and redemption is incredible. But our focus lately has been on those early years when she was somehow able to pretend her life was normal, even though it was anything but. The insight and ‘a-has’ as she recounts to me the long, arduous journey has been healing. I’ve been able to watch her take back her story and step into a life completely her own. She now helps other people cross that bridge from trauma to triumph. And as we reflect on how she survived by keeping herself in the dark, we also look at her former husband, who seems to have never had an issue straddling both worlds.
Now the thief is a character within a novel I’m ghostwriting. She, too, compartmentalizes. She lies and manipulates, and steals—all in an effort to keep herself alive. It’s been fascinating writing the character of the man who has been deceived by her and yet, finds himself loving her still. His stubbornness in seeing the good in her proves to be his undoing. He cannot do what she does. He can’t put his life into boxes. For him, everything connects. And ultimately, that’s why it takes him so long to see the thief for who she is.
And lastly, the small-town mayor. I had the honour of editing the proposal for another friend’s memoir. Again, we have a wife deceived by the man she loves, who seems to effortlessly coexist in two worlds. Deep in the American South, where big oil reigns supreme and nearly everyone in government is corrupt, my friend found herself in a sexless marriage and at the mercy of a man who only lied and then lied some more. Her husband’s ability to compartmentalize bordered on the sociopathic, in her opinion. He fell deep and quickly into the underbelly of that political world. But her story is also one of breaking free. And of forgiving oneself for having been blinded by the promise an enormous diamond ring is meant to symbolize.
I’d been giving myself a hard time lately. I mean, look at all the work I’ve been doing lately to support someone else’s writing, someone else’s stories, someone else’s book sales. But the truth is, I’m helpful in this role. I’m good at it. And I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that my novel is coming.
For now, I’m happy to learn more about these things, of which I knew so little. I know it will all serve me well, even if I can’t quite see how just yet.
NOW AVAILABLE!
Love on the Brain by Kerry Evelyn
He was her BFF until life got in the way. Now he’s back, right when she needs him most. But crossing the line of friendship will risk more than just their hearts.
All Jane Porter Allen ever wanted was a big family, front porch, and white picket fence. That dream was laid to rest alongside her husband, Casey, when their life was just getting started. Now, as their son, Noah, faces a similar life-threatening diagnosis, she’s forced to confront her past as she struggles with how to save her little boy’s future.
Enter Ryan Engstrom, Jane’s college bestie and Casey’s childhood best friend. A paediatric neurosurgeon, he’s full of regrets and determined to help Noah. He’ll need to move mountains to make sure Noah receives the best medical treatment possible—all the while fighting his own personal demons as he faces a heart-wrenching decision.
Though still deeply grieving past traumas, Jane and Ryan are just as in tune with each other as ever. When their feelings grow beyond friendship, everything hangs in the balance, including Noah’s life. Now, they must confront their pain and make a choice—continue on separate paths and miss out on a second chance at love, or risk everything to find a way to build a future together.
Love on the Brain is a poignant emotional journey that explores love, loss, and the healing of wounds that prove most resistant to it.
