posted on June 10, 2020 by Kylie Brant

Writing in Harrowing Times

A gif of a Dumpster fire would be pretty fitting image for my life the last several months. Like many writers, I tried to wedge in writing time during a pandemic. Then several family emergencies and a medical procedure/recovery happened. Writing in hospital rooms is actually not to be recommended, LOL. It was a surreal and disjointed process. I lost track of time, sometimes struggling to recall what month it was, much less what day. I had the worst time keep track of what I was writing, who the secondary characters were, and the plot line, resulting in more editing than I usually have to do.

But it was also soothing to have my writing to escape to. With the news and worry about the pandemic looming, hard medical decisions to face regarding family members, and me missing my kids, sometimes the one solid thing in the ever-shifting landscape was the book. The story idea was tangible, and the need to write lent purpose to my days as I organized writing time around dealing with other life issues.

Writing has been many things for me over the years, but even with a looming deadline, in the last few months it lent me a sense of calm that was very much needed. By release day, I felt like I was emerging from a battle-ridden bunker, rubbing my eyes, blinking in the bright sunlight, feeling a bit shell-shocked.

I know these times will pass. I realize many people are experiencing similar or worse things. We’re all in this together. And somehow, that knowledge gives me strength. On to the new book .

US Deputy Marshal Cady Maddix is back in A DARKER TRUTH.

An arrest warrant goes horribly wrong when Deputy US Marshal Cady Maddix is captured and held captive by a mentally unstable man. She manages to escape, but not before she’s beaten and tattooed with a violent scene from her captor’s dark and damaged mind: a burning church and screaming children.

Three weeks later, she’s back on the job and assigned a warrant for Frank Burgess, The Cremator. A corpse and human cremains have been found on the radical zealot’s property, and clues are in short supply. But Cady soon meets a survivor of the killer, a mute young woman who points them to a burnt-out rural church the man attended. Cady is shocked to discover the church is a duplicate of the one she bears on her back.

Cady is determined to find the connection between former church members who’ve died bizarre deaths in recent years. But there’s a killer who will stop at nothing to complete his deadly list, even if it means adding Cady as his next victim.

One person who comments will win a digital copy of A DARKER TRUTH.

 

Kylie Brant

Kylie Brant

Kylie Brant is a native Midwesterner and resides in Iowa. She has the distinction of selling the first book she ever wrote. That began a career that has spanned nearly forty novels. She’s garnered numerous nominations and awards, including twice winning the overall Daphne Award for excellence in mystery and suspense, and a Career Achievement Award by Romantic Times. She’s an Amazon bestseller, a three-time RITA nominee and has been nominated for five RT awards. She’s a mother of five, a former elementary special education teacher and an accomplished multi-tasker. Her books have been published in twenty-nine countries and translated into eighteen languages.

https://www.kyliebrant.com/

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10 thoughts on “Writing in Harrowing Times”

  1. Frances Mantler says:

    Isn’t this what life is about taking the darkness and finding the light in it. Your light is obviously in your writing the thing that keeps you grounded then life feels like a tornado flying around you.

    1. It certainly is, Frances. Those rays of light become more meaningful when stress crowds in!

  2. Roswita Hildebrandt says:

    I’m fortunate that there are all you wonderful writers providing worlds for me to escape into 🙂

    1. Sometimes, we’re escaping, too, LOL. But I feel the same way. I love getting lost in a good book after my writing is done for the day, time permitting.

  3. Deborah says:

    What a great opportunity to win a fabulous book.

    1. Wishing you good luck!

  4. A dumpster fire – feels right :). Can’t wait for this book. Love your work!

    1. It does, doesn’t it! Thank you, Cynthia!

  5. AMBER says:

    In providing you an escape it provides us an escape. Hope all of your family is healthy and safe. It is hard to have to make critical decisions when the world is upside down.

    1. That’s so true, Amber! Wishing you and yours well, too!

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