My Truth in Fiction by Barbara Conrey

It wasn’t until I started writing that I discovered how much of my history and emotions were within the pages of the books I wrote. Which made me wonder how much truth is disguised as fiction in other novels.

In Nowhere Near Goodbye, my debut, my anger at medical science, and, yes, God, was clearly on the page. A supposedly rare brain tumor, glioblastoma, had destroyed the lives of three people I cared about. I had a lot to say.

Writing that book didn’t make me feel any better about science or faith, but the emails and letters I received after the book published told me one thing: I wasn’t alone.

My confusion about religion and spirituality led me to write My Secret to Keep, a story about a woman at war with society.

To my credit, I never used the personalities or characteristics of either of my two ex-husbands (don’t judge, I’m a slow learner) until I wrote A Fine Layer of Dust. I couldn’t resist recreating a wedding scene (high mass, no less) where the groom passed out at the altar, fell down the marble steps leading to the altar, and was held in place by groomsmen who looked like they didn’t want to be there any more than I did.

What, if anything, is true in the books I read? How about you? Do you look for the truth in the pages of the novels you read? Do you share your truths in the stories you write?

Excerpt from A Fine Layer of Dust

A scene between Jake, my protagonist, and his daughter, Emily.

Emily reached for the television remote, but Jake grabbed it before she could hit the power button.

“How about tonight we talk about this rescue organization you’re so keen on?”

“Really?” Without missing a beat, Emily moved to the old pine table that displayed her carved initials from when she was too young to know better and fired up her laptop. Soon, the bold colors of the rescue website filled the screen, highlighting the exhaustion of the dogs pictured there.

Jake couldn’t turn away from the anguish in their eyes. He wanted to shield Emily from experiencing the sorrow these pictures triggered, but instead of disgust or dismay, he saw hope written all over her heart-shaped, freckled face.

“The organization started years ago when a laboratory contacted an animal rescue and advocacy group and asked them to take two beagles no longer used for experiments. They found forever homes for the dogs then contacted other labs to see if they could have the dogs they no longer needed.”

“Are forever homes what I think they are?”

“Yep.” The light in Emily’s eyes dimmed as she mindlessly traced her initials carved into the pine table. “It used to be legal for the facilities to kill the dogs they no longer wanted, but now some are released.”

Emily’s words tugged at Jake’s heart, but he wasn’t sure this was reason enough to adopt a dog.

“Can we get one?” Emily looked at him with big, watery eyes, and he nearly caved. “They’re practically free.”

“Nothing’s practically free.” Jake regretted his words the moment they shot out of his mouth. He sounded like his old man. Viewing one listing after another, he ignored the pictures and concentrated on the details. “We know nothing about these dogs or where they come from. Just that they’re rescues from product testing facilities.” Jake didn’t want to destroy Emily’s enthusiasm, but she needed to learn not to lead with her heart. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

Emily didn’t even blink. “It’s a great idea! I don’t want to marry them. They deserve to have a home and someone to love them. And if we take good care of it and it gets all its shots and stuff, it’ll be healthy.” She never took her eyes off him.

Jake rarely denied her anything, and Emily might have been counting on him not starting that night. He looked at more pictures, and watched a few short videos of released dogs experiencing freedom for the first time. He fought against closing his eyes when he saw how frightened the dogs were, how the volunteers moved slowly and spoke softly to not terrify them further. Jake wasn’t sure how Emily could look at all of this. The articles about the laboratory conditions made him wish he hadn’t eaten dinner.

He wanted to help, but he also never wanted to think about this place again. “But I thought you wanted a puppy?”

“That’s the thing. Sometimes, there are puppies. Sometimes, they rescue pregnant moms, and the puppies are born into freedom. Sometimes, the labs give them up because they don’t want to care for them until they’re old enough to be used for testing.”

Sophia had been quiet all this time, but her eyes were hopeful. Jake could easily see that even if he were dead set against Emily’s idea, he’d be facing a losing battle with his wife.

—

Attorney Jake Trenton’s perfectly ordered life unravels when he loses a promotion and his wife announces she wants to become a surrogate. While he spends even more time at the office to prove his worth, he worries about the effects on their family if Sophia carries a baby for a stranger.

Once Sophia explains how important it is to her to bear a child for someone who can’t, Jake reluctantly agrees. However, when the embryo transfer is successful, Jake’s carefully constructed world crumbles beneath the memory of his brother’s death, which occurred years ago in the same month the baby is due.

With nightmares plaguing his sleep and rage consuming his days, Jake makes a devastating choice that will forever alter the lives of two families. Suddenly, he is the kind of man he never thought he would be. Jake must confront the darkest parts of himself and question everything he thought he knew about love, loss, and what it truly means to heal.

Preorder A FINE LAYER OF DUST HERE

Barbara Conrey is the USA Today Bestselling author of Nowhere Near Goodbye, her debut, My Secret to Keep, and A Fine Layer of Dust, published by Red Adept Publishing.

Barbara loves dogs and is partial to rescue beagles. She is an avid promoter of the Beagle Freedom  Project. (https:// bfp.org).

Barbara lives in Pennsylvania, close to family and friends.

Learn more about Barbara or sign up for her newsletter here: https://www.barbaraconreyauthor.com

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing