The First Lie, an e-original short story, is available today! It’s just 99¢ in the United States and 99p in the United Kingdom. I had a blast writing it, though it was a challenge. I wasn’t sure I could “write short” after writing novels for so long.
I knew I wanted to come up with a story involving the characters from my upcoming September release Necessary Lies, but how to write it without giving too much away? How to grab my readers and leave them wanting more? I hope I’ve accomplished both those goals with The First Lie.
Necessary Lies, the novel, is set in 1960 rural North Carolina. I set The First Lie two years earlier in 1958 when my characters Ivy and Mary Ella Hart are just thirteen and fifteen. They live in poverty with their grandmother on a tobacco farm. Ivy is still more child than woman, but Mary Ella is pregnant, holding tight to the secret of her baby’s father. In the middle of a windy, eerie night, Mary Ella goes into labor. Ivy’s mystified as to why her grandmother tells her to call their social worker instead of their public health nurse for help. The answer to that question sets the stage for the story in Necessary Lies.
I can’t wait to hear what you all think of The First Lie. Feel free to share your comments here. I’ll randomly pick three comments (whether they’re about The First Lie or not) to win one of my newly minted audio books!
The post The First Lie: Writing a Short Story inspired by a Novel (Plus a Contest!) appeared first on Diane Chamberlain.
