Friday 3 May 2013

Picking Up the Pieces

Firstly, thanks to you all for your comments, both here and on my FB page - so glad I'm not talking to myself here!

Back to "Absolution" and the character intro's.  Today, I wanted to talk about Ally.  This post has been the trickiest to write so far, mainly because I think she is the most complex of all the players.  She was certainly the most difficult to write.  I have rewritten this story a hundred times over the past four years, and every time she changes slightly.  I think because I was so desperate for her to be more than just a victim.

She's had it pretty tough.  One minute, she's in the car with Jack and Callum and everything's great, the next minute she wakes up in hospital.  As if that wasn't enough to wrap her head around, Jack is gone and she has some pretty serious injuries.  He should be there - she needs him to be there.  So add a broken heart to a broken body and suddenly she also has a broken spirit.  Not a fun place to be.

She can see that what happened that night has affected not only her, but everyone around her.  They have all been through hell and while she doesn't feel responsible for that, she does feel like she has to protect them from more heartache.  There is a dark place she crawls to inside her head that she is desperate to keep from them. 

So she claws her way back from the brink - she pieces her life back together and she holds on tightly to everyone she loves.  She is not going to risk this happening again.  Life goes on and so must she.  She throws herself into her work and she tries to forget about what might have been.

When Jack finally returns home, her carefully constructed "new normal" topples like a house of cards.  All the feelings she had tucked neatly away in a box in her head with Jack's name on it, come hurtling out and it's time to face the past head-on.  The heart is a difficult thing to ignore.  She is torn between the Jack she knew and loved before, and the one who abandoned her in her time of need.  A classic "heart versus head" dilemma.

I have to say, Ally and I have some things in common.  She uses her work as an artist as a way not only to express herself but also as a way to hide out from the world for a while. We also have the same taste in music *ahem*.

I love the thread of friendship that weaves through this story - it's something that I wanted to make clear from the beginning.  These people know each other inside out.  They know each others strengths and weaknesses as only good friends do.  They've seen each other at their best and their worst.  They know when to push and when to leave you alone.

When Jack disappears, it takes them all by surprise because it's so out of character.  And when he returns, he's definitely not the person they used to know.  But then, none of them are.

Next time: Callum's story.



Again, thanks for your comments - it's so great to see!

~Amanda

6 comments:

  1. Oh I so want to read this book. I think I will know the ins and outs of all the characters before I turn the first page.

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    1. Fantastic - thanks Bobbie, that's great to hear! I just wanted to introduce the characters so you understood more about what the story is about and decide for yourself if you wanted to read more :-)

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    2. I'm with Bobbie on this one - drooling already and looking forward to seeing how you take your story through to its conclusion!

      Nikki OBrien

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    3. Thanks Nikki! I'm really glad you're enjoying the journey - hope you enjoy the book just as much :) Thanks for reading and for your feedback!

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    4. Ally is certainly an interesting character , and as Bobby said by the time we open the book we will have a knowledge of each person and their journey through to the final chapter xx

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    5. Indeed Tracy - that's the idea, to give you all some background on the characters and let you figure out if it's something you might be interested in reading. I hope you enjoy the posts :) x

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