Best Friends In Books

There are many books filled with stories about diabolical women and how vicious they can be to each other. I read these books, and I find them fascinating. However, I started thinking about other books I’ve read through the years where women’s friendships were the central theme. The two that immediately came to mind were FIREFLY LANE, by Kristin Hannah, and THE DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YAYA SISTERHOOD, by Rebecca Wells.

The characters in both of these novels have stuck with me through the years, and I think it’s because the friendship between the women felt real. They were relatable and no matter what their personal struggles were, their bonds remained strong.

It got me thinking about why I was drawn to these kinds of stories and about my own personal beliefs. I realized I wanted to write my own version about women who stick together rather than tear each other apart. And I wanted to see what that kind of friendship might look like across decades.

Now I know friends can come into your life at any age, and it’s not about who you’ve known the longest, but who is there for you when you need them most. Although I believe this to be true, I couldn’t help but go back to those early childhood friendships, especially those we make around the age of ten. I think this is the age when we become more aware of the world around us.

We start picking up on clues that things aren’t always as they seem. Also, I believe this is the age when girlfriends start becoming an important part of our lives. There is something special about girlfriends at this age. They know you like no one else can ever know you. They sleep over your house, eat meals with your family, go on family vacations with you.

They get to see what your life is like from the inside. How many times can we say that as we get older? Friends we meet later in life only know us from what we show them and what we tell them. They don’t live inside the walls of our home to truly see what is going on behind closed doors. But childhood friends often see it firsthand. They see what is good and also what is bad in your life without you ever having to tell them.

I tried to think of novels in the mystery/suspense genre where girlfriends, specifically childhood friends, take center stage. Stephen King’s novella, THE BODY, came to mind. It’s better known by the movie title, STAND BY ME. However, it centered around boys’ friendship. I couldn’t think of any I’ve read where girls’ friendship is prominent. In most mystery/suspense novels, one of the girls is typically dead or missing before the story opens. I thought it was time to write about the strong bond between girlfriends where both (or three in the case of my story) are alive and kicking.

Then I remembered one of my favorite quotes, “A good friend will help you move, but a best friend will help you move a body.” There are several variations of this quote posted on all the social media cites, and it appeared I wasn’t the only one thinking about the special bond between friends and in a dark way. ☺

From there, the idea and the characters for a story fell into place. What I came up with was my latest release, COLD WOODS, and my very own version of that special bond between three girlfriends. They are realistic, flawed, and yet, they care for and protect each other at all cost. I didn’t sugarcoat the friendship. I didn’t want it to be perfect. And in this regard, I wanted it to be relatable.

I believe we are the sum of our experiences, and the past influences who we are today. In order to understand the predicament the characters encounter in the present day, I needed to understand what led them to their current circumstance. Going back and forth between past and present was the only way I knew how to tell their story. It was important to show the depth of their friendship in the chapters written in the past to fully empathize with who they are as adults.

It was not an easy book to write by any means, and the last piece of the puzzle was the hardest yet. The past chapters take place in the 80’s during a time when the criminal justice system was ill-equipped to help or protect women and girls suffering from domestic violence and sexual abuse. I did a lot of research into forensics, police procedures, and psychology. Once all the pieces were there, it was my job to put them together into a story that readers would enjoy. It was a lofty goal, and I hope I accomplished what I set out to do.

Originally titled, The Bones of Lester Haines, then Lester’s Bones, then Cold Bones, and finally, COLD WOODS. It was truly a labor of love. It was the book that landed me an agent several years ago. When we first pitched it to editors at publishing houses, it was rejected. Many times. I ended up shelving it for a couple of years. Then three published books later, I brushed it off, and rewrote large sections, including entire chapters. I just couldn’t let the story go. I think the #metoo movement and the timing was right for the story I wanted to tell. I’m happy to say it’s available now wherever books are sold.

P.S. If you know of any mystery/suspense novels where girls’ friendship is the theme and one isn’t dead or missing, please let me know in the comments. I’d love to read them.

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Karen Katchur is the best-selling author of River Bodies. She has a bachelor of science in criminal justice and a master’s in education.

She lives in eastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.

Connect with Karen online

www.karenkatchur.com

www.facebook.com/karenkatchurauthor

www.twitter.com/karenkatchur

COLD WOODS

Buried bones of the past rise to the surface in this chilling mystery from the bestselling author of River Bodies.

When the long-buried bones of a man turn up in the middle of December, Pennsylvania homicide detective Parker Reed knows he’s in for a cold case.

Trisha and her friends were teenagers when Trisha’s stepdad went missing. Now, thirty years later, his remains have been found in the mountains. The women have always known there was more to his disappearance than meets the eye, and they must confront their grim past. Secrets can stay secret a long time in the lonely Appalachian foothills—but not forever.

When Parker and his partner identify the remains, their investigation leads them to Trisha’s childhood home. But the deeper Parker digs into the crime, the more he realizes that the truth isn’t always simple. In fact, it’s so complicated that even Trisha and her friends don’t fully understand what really happened in those cold woods.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing