Welcome to my website, and thank you for your interest in my debut novel, Here Among Us.
On these pages you’ll find my bio, excerpts from Here Among Us, and weekly blog entries. I’ll also be posting excerpts from the dozens of short stories I’ve written over the years. And while this site’s purpose is to promote Here Among Us, my intention is for it to be so much more. Since finishing the book I’ve spoken to dozens of women who, like me, have been writing fiction for years. For any number of reasons, these women haven’t made the leap to finishing the novel that’s rattling around in their head, desperate to break free.
Finishing. The idea is deceivingly simple unless of course you’re talking about 200 plus pages filled with characters who come to life and act in ways you hadn’t necessarily intended (the parallels to raising children are uncanny). E.L. Doctorow said that, “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see to the end of your headlights; but you can make the whole trip that way.” That’s exactly how I finished my novel, often unable to see past the chapter I was writing, relying on faith, stumbling around in the dark. There was nothing pretty about it, and I often felt—more often than not if the truth be told—that I was a fool for thinking I could pull it off. Which is why, as much as anything, I’d like to use this space to discuss the scary and exhilarating process of shepherding Here Among Us and my numerous short stories into the hands of readers.
Who knows? Maybe something I say, or some experience I’ll share will help someone else finish, too.
Thanks for stopping by,
Maggie Harryman