How It All Began

I distinctively remember where I was, the exact location, when the opening scene of this novel hit me. Although I already had much of the general story line in place, it wasn't until I had an invitation to share my first chapter of my first novel with an editor at a writer's conference, then I took the book's opening very serious. While searching for ideas, I visited my sister in California, and while enjoying the beautiful ocean, taking in the thrills of nature, and a place of solace, the opening scene hit. The intensity overwhelmed me. Fifteen years later, and I've since learned that such moments are part of my creative process. At some random second, the walls come down and I view an event, hear snippets of conversation, or sense the tension attached to a critical moment. Then I must grab anything I can to capture in writing the unfolding moment.

From Pains to Prologue

UNAUTHORED LETTERS is the second book in the John Sanders series, however it was published ten years after the first in the series (SANDERS' STARFISH). Although I knew readers would have a richer experience by reading both novels, I didn't want to isolate this novel only to readers familiar with the series. I wanted UNAUTHORED LETTERS to stand on its own. Because of this goal it become very critical how this book began. I pain staked over this for a very long time, for years in fact, creating and discarding several variations of the opening chapter. In the end, the minor character of Milton Haight came to my aid. Through him I was able to introduce readers to Rebecca Brownell, by going back in time, and allowing both types of readers to see the scene which set everything in motion. I love the character of Rebecca, and who she becomes, and this beginning lets us see the fall before the climb back up.

The Different Characters

In 2005, I had an idea for a new novel. Rather quickly, I sketched out the details around the majority of my character cast. However, I saw right away that POV (point of view) played a crucial role in how this story had to be told. So I let the story simmer. For years, I just let the characters continue to emerge as they wished, jotting notes around their story line, but not attempting to submerge myself into the narrative.Of course when I hunted for the right point of view, my checklist included intimacy, with personal thoughts and emotions. First person made sense, but I had too many characters. Yet each student was crafted for a specific purpose. Still I didn't want to be jumping around from character to character and possibly overwhelm the reader. Also for some scenes, I knew I couldn't be stuck in a student's POV, rather I needed a different set of eyes to compare and contrast these teens' interactions. Then I remembered my own shocking moment when my journal was collected as a child. And BAM! I had my POVs. And to help manage the story line, Mrs. Savannah Childs, the students’ creative writing teacher, became the stable narrator.

The Journals

Two weeks into my fourth grade year, I transferred to a new school. Since I joined the class late, I didn’t receive specific instructions regarding Mrs. Jackson’s journals. But I already was writing in a journal, so I was pretty confident I knew what to do with this assignment. In fact, I made great use of my class journal! I wrote about how I didn’t like my new school, or my new teachers, or any of my new experiences. I even went so far as to declare my confident plan of being transferred out of this school. Then, soon into these valuable writing days, Mrs. Jackson announced it was time for her monthly collection of these journals. As a shy, obedient child, I was horrified! I was absolutely mortified that my unfiltered account of my private life would have such a reader. Yet Mrs. Jackson handled it beautifully. She expressed concern for my sorrows, offered help through my troubles, and encouraged me in my growth as a writer. I owe a great deal to Mrs. Jackson and all my exceptional teachers who dedicated their lives to help make the world a better place through education. Plus, because of this experience, as an author I was inspired to share my characters' stories through journal excerpts, and through the aftermath once these journals were collected.

The Murder

I don't consider this book a mystery, yet it is. It begins with the murder of Stella Fabrizio. The book's main narrator, Mrs. Savannah Childs, is a 9th grade English teacher who has a special project with ten creative writing students that she has invested a lot of emotion in. However, mid-school year, and just as the novel begins, clues from Stella's murder, lead the investigation to Mrs. Childs's ten students journals. Many readers have told me they did not guess "whodunit" but once it is revealed it makes sense. They enjoyed the murder portion of the story, but Deseret News book reviewer, Elizabeth Reid, said it best "Although “The Other Side of Quiet” may seem like a simple murder mystery, it is so much more. Overarching the mystery of the murderer’s identity, the interweaving stories of the teenagers and their teacher are what make this novel compelling and unique." And that more intricate story is what I set out to tell.

Todi's Journal

In The Other Side of Quiet, Todi lives in Helam, Utah for the school year. Here she discovers an important truth about herself. Much of that discovery comes from her relationships with her foster parents, Carroll and Paisley Johnson, her teacher, Mrs. Childs, and her new creative writing friends, Anya, Tracey and Blake.

Todi is the only character that comes over from my other novel, Unauthored Letters. In an early draft of The Other Side of Quiet, I considered her being a narrator. Instead Mrs. Childs became the main narrator, but Todi still drove much of the story during its early creation.