Diana Bletter | On Writing About Mr. Right—And Mr. Wrong
August 26, 2015
My novel, A
REMARKABLE
KINDNESS, tells the intertwined love stories of four American women who, for various
reasons, all wind up in a small beach village in Northern Israel. I knew that this
faraway,
rugged place would be the perfect setting for this novel which explores completely
unpredictable loves romance and passion.
There’s nothing like a good romance to get your heart beating really fast. In real life
as
well as in books, who can resist a love story? I especially like love stories in which
two
people who are not meant to be together overcome all odds and follow their secret dreams—
and their passion.
In fact, each of the four unique women in A REMARKABLE KINDNESS finds an interesting twist on Mr.
Right. Emily, for example, is an artist from Charleston, West Virginia, who lands in
Israel
after her first husband dumps her for a “thinner woman with legs like stilts.” After a
time, she falls in love with someone who is Romeo to her Juliet. Not only are their
families at war; in Emily’s case, she and her true love are from different sides of a
serious conflict. This would make for great fiction! As Emily confides in her best
friend,
Lauren, “What happens if Mr. Wrong really is Mr. Right?”
I decided to give her best friend, Lauren, a different challenge. She’s a maternity nurse
who fell in love with the perfect guy—a doctor. The catch for Mr. Right? He wants to move
back to the Israeli village where he grew up and Lauren is a diehard Bostonian. Lauren is
faced with a tricky dilemma: how far do we move for someone we love? Should we step out
of
our safety zone and travel halfway around the world? How far would you go? How much would
you sacrifice? These are important questions I wanted to write about.
To prepare for writing my novel, I re-read two favorite romance novels of all time:
Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. No matter how many times I’ve read both
books, I still feel on edge with suspense leading up to when Elizabeth Bennett and Mr.
Darcy finally confess their love for each other. And I can’t sit still until Mr.
Rochester
declares his unbridled passion for Jane Eyre. . .
Part of what makes reading about love so special is because we become so involved with
the
story, we just can’t wait another moment for it to resolve itself. Well, writing is the
same way! While writing the love story of Rachel, a recent college graduate, I found she
was hesitant about falling head over heels with a very special young Mr. Right. As the
author, I wanted her to speed things up a bit. But I’ve learned that characters (like our
friends, husbands, parents or children!) need to move at their own pace.
Writing is like passion. It is about letting go. . . And the best part of writing this
novel is the startling moments when the characters became so real that they ended up
doing
things that even surprised me!
GIVEAWAY
What's your favorite love story? Love at first sight? The long, slow fall into love?
The
star-crossed lovers? Something else? Leave a comment below and be entered for a chance to
win a copy of A
REMARKABLE KINDNESS. 3 winners; US shipping only.
Diana Bletter grew up in New York, and then set out to explore the world. She has
worked as a freelance journalist in Paris and Rome and now lives in a small beach village
in Northern Israel. She met Mr. Wrong—a Harley Davidson motorcyclist with an earring and
a
tattoo—who turned out to be Mr. Right. They now have a blended family with six children
and
Diana even learned to ride a motorcycle herself. In fact, she rode it from New York all
the
way up to Alaska and back—and lived to tell about it in her memoir, The Mom Who Took Off
on
Her Motorcycle.
Diana’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Glamour and
Family Circle, where she won First Prize in the 2011 Fiction Contest.
Website | Facebook
Through a largely hidden ceremony . . . four friends discover the true meaning of
life
It's 2006 in a seaside village in Israel, where a war is brewing. Lauren, Emily, Aviva
and
Rachel, four memorable women from different backgrounds, are drawn to the village.
Lauren,
a maternity nurse, loves her Israeli doctor husband but struggles to make a home for
herself in a foreign land thousands of miles away from her beloved Boston. Seeking a
fresh
start after a divorce, her vivacious friend Emily follows. Strong, sensuous Aviva,
brought
to Israel years earlier by intelligence work, has raised a family and now lost a son. And
Rachel, a beautiful, idealistic college graduate from Wyoming, arrives with her hopeful
dreams.
The women forge a friendship that sustains them as they come to terms with love and loss,
and the outbreak of war. Their intimate bond is strengthened by their participation in a
traditional ritual that closes the circle of life. As their lives are slowly transformed,
each finds unexpected strength and resilience. Brimming with wisdom, rich in meaningful
insights, A Remarkable Kindness is a moving testament to women's friendship, illuminating
a
mostly unknown ritual that underscores what it means to truly be alive.
Comments
21 comments posted.
Re: Diana Bletter | On Writing About Mr. Right—And Mr. Wrong
Love the cover of your book. I have it added to my TBR list, thanks for the opportunity. (Jennifer Lessard 12:43pm August 26, 2015)
I'm looking forward to reading your book!! I could feel the passion you have for your writing, just by reading your posting. If that's even a small indication of what's to come between the pages of your book, I know that I'm in for quite an experience!! One of my favorite love stories is called Roses by Leila Meacham. It's a love story that takes place throughout the lives of not only the Matriarch of the story, but of the man she loves. The book is quite long at about 500 pages, but once you start reading it, it's one of those books you won't be able to put down. I finished it in one sitting, and pulled an all-nighter, just to find out the ending!! (Peggy Roberson 7:40am August 26, 2015)
Slowly falling is love plays well most of the time. But all of them are fun. (Pam Howell 2:29pm August 26, 2015)
The theme grabs your attention. I look forward to an enjoyable and inspiring read. (Mildred Mayo 7:13pm August 26, 2015)
I would love to win and read . (Kathy Church 7:29pm August 26, 2015)
I love them all and like mixing it up to keep it fresh and always feeling like I'm reading something new. (Maria Smith 8:45pm August 26, 2015)
Enjoy reading stories that pit people against their surroundings. Israel is one of my favorite places to visit, and I'd love to join these women in their journey. (Sandy Haber 9:04pm August 26, 2015)
Slowly falling in love with a few obstacles in the way makes for an excellent story. (Irene Menge 10:10pm August 26, 2015)
star-crossed lovers (Fred Holmes 11:04pm August 26, 2015)
ROMEO AND JULIET (Debbi Shaw 11:19pm August 26, 2015)
I love a good love-at-first-sight story. Then the people have to justify their feelings & figure out why they feel that way. So much fun. (Kristine Murphy 9:28am August 27, 2015)
My favorite love story is a combination of the love-at-first-sight and the slowly falling into love with obstacles scenario. What I mean by that is the story where characters fall in love instantly because of an event (often in their childhood) and harbor fantasies about that person and eventually are able to get together after time, other relationships and a series of events bring them back together. I love the idea that someone loves that constantly regardless of time and life events. (Flora Presley 7:07pm August 27, 2015)
This is on a personal note,but I think you must be a very strong woman to attempt that trip to Alaska on a motorcycle. Can't wait to read your book. (Mary Burt 7:54pm August 27, 2015)
My favorite is enemies to true loves. (Mary McCoy 9:11pm August 27, 2015)
My favorite is when people who were friends but parted meet again and fall in love. (Diana Thomas 10:44pm August 27, 2015)
What a beautiful cover! I just love the sea. I'd love to read this book. (Connie Williamson 12:35pm August 28, 2015)
I love all the romances but my favorite would have to be the ones where they are fighting off this deep love and passion they have for each other . The 'forbidden love' makes an exciting story . Thanks for this giveaway. (Joan Thrasher 12:33pm August 28, 2015)
I like the slower developing romances. I think love at first sight is not realistic. You can certainly be attracted to someone at first sight but to love them you need to know who they are. (Mary Songer 4:08pm August 28, 2015)
It depends upon the story. It doesn't matter as long as I feel like I'm with them when it happens. (Anna Speed 1:02pm August 29, 2015)
Love at first sight! (Denise Austin 1:43pm August 29, 2015)
I love it when a character has feelings for both men and women. It makes the book real. (Susan Coster 5:27pm August 29, 2015)
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