On Writing The Campbell Sisters

When I envisioned The Campbell Sisters, I thought it would be a continuation of my novella, The Crossing. Not a sequel, since it would take place twenty-five years later, but a continuation of their story. The original was titled, Three Sisters. I set it in the early 1900s and the two main characters had known each other since childhood. In fact, their parents had emigrated from Ireland on the same boat and the boy, Liam in the novella, often babysat for the infant girl, Deirdre. I concocted all kinds of conflicts and dramas for the Hardiman family appropriate to that time period. 

Then, when the manuscript was complete, I sent it off to some of my trusted beta readers for comments. Although they gave me terrific feedback, I still felt something was missing in the story. I let it sit on top of my filing cabinet for about a month before reading it again. I still wasn’t satisfied with my final draft.

After stewing about it for another couple of weeks, I decided the time period just wasn’t working. That was after months of research about the early 1900s. But I still thought the story had potential. So, I thrashed around for a while in the non-writing world and tried to focus on my historical novel, A Lady Newspaperman’s Dilemma, which was finished, and searching for an agent or editor who would love it. (PS It found one.)

During this angst ridden time, I kept thinking about my “sister” novel. What could I do to resurrect it from my own slush pile of unwanted/unfinished stories? I don’t remember what triggered it, but my mind hit upon the idea of changing the time period to the 1950s. Suddenly, everything fell into place. I could see all the characters. What they did for a living. Where they lived. Who they loved. The conflicts they would have to overcome. It all became crystal clear. Well, maybe a little muddy, but the answers were there. I just had to dig them out.

So, I scrapped almost everything from Three Sisters and started fresh. My major inspiration came from my grandmother. She told me she had to elope with my grandfather because they knew their parents would object to the marriage. I don’t know if their parents ever did oppose the match or not, all I remembered from my childhood was the story of her eloping and how romantic and exciting that sounded to me, still a little girl.

Anyway, I decided the 1950s was the perfect setting for reasons I still can’t enumerate. Maybe because it seemed like such an untroubled time in our nation’s history. That is if we go by all the TV sit-coms of the time. I’m sure people who were fighting in the Korean War would not agree, but most people seemed to be enjoying the relative peace after World War II. Families prospered. Highways were being built linking the country from coast to coast. TVs appeared in most homes. Most men and women had returned from fighting overseas and were enjoying life in newly constructed homes and communities, like Levittown, New York. 

But underneath all of that, there were still prejudices against women, and ethnicities. All was not well and I wanted to highlight some of those problems and show how strong women would not be deterred by them to achieve the goals they set for themselves.

I hope I succeeded.

P.S. You can get a free copy of The Crossing by going to my website, https://www.ejdonovan.com, and signing up for my monthlyish newsletter.

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About the Author

Eileen Joyce Donovan has been writing her entire life, in one way or another, whether it was imaginative stories for friends, or advertising copy for clients. At the persistent urging of her husband, she finally agreed to seriously edit and revise one of her stories and take the plunge. Years later, her persistence paid off and both her debut historical fiction, Promises, and her second novel, A Lady Newspaperman’s Dilemma, won prestigious awards. Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies, and her essays have been included in various Chicken Soup for the Soul editions.
She lives in Manhattan, New York and is a member of Authors Guild, Women’s National Book Association, Women Fiction Writers Association, and The Historical Novel Society.

THE CAMPBELL SISTERS

“A thoroughly enjoyable family drama populated with fully developed, central characters.” — The Wishing Shelf

“If you are into a story about an Irish family dealing with three adult daughters moving on with their lives as they chose different paths, this may be for you.” — Conny Withay Reviews

“5 Stars!! – Entertaining Soap Opera Family Saga” — Denise D, Goodreads

“A love story of the time.” – The Many Thoughts of a Reader

“The writer made the time period and her cast of characters pop to life.” — Urban Book Reviews

“5 Stars! An excellent historical fiction read and one that I think would be worthwhile for many readers” – Nora, Storeybook Reviews

“A gorgeous addition to the [historical fiction] genre, and it is begging to be added to your TBR!” — Sal, Bound 4 Escape

Helen Campbell is the eldest and most practical of three sisters, daughters of hard-working Irish emigrants living in New York City in the 1950s. She does what she can to keep the wild-child middle sister, Carolyn, in line and support the youngest, Peggy, as she pursues her dreams of becoming a doctor. Then Helen meets Charlie.

While its love at first sight for those two, Carolyn’s antics threatens to derail all the sisters’ future happiness. However, through thick and thin, the three sisters strive to prevail, though not necessarily in the ways they thought they wanted.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Campbell-Sisters-Eileen-Joyce-Donovan-ebook/dp/B0BN2DV45Q 

https://www.dxvaros.com/books/THE-CAMPBELL-SISTERS

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing