Guest Blog: Teri Coyne

I'm so excited that Teri Coyne has graciously offered to do a guest blog for us in conjunction with the release of her novel, The Last Bridge, in paperback:

I’m not going to beat around the bush, I really want you to read The Last Bridge if you haven’t already. Although there are many reasons I want you to read it the most important one is that I want to know how you feel about the story.

Maybe it’s the solitary nature of being a writer, or the fact it took me over ten years to finish the book but I love hearing from readers and getting their perspective and opinions on the story. That’s why I love book clubs – not just for the wine and goodies (when I can attend in person) – but for that feeling you get when a group of women come together and talk. It’s exhilarating.

While authors speak a lot about the writing process and how solitary it is, few acknowledge the truth about writing, that before a reader picks up your book and reads it, all you have are words on a page. It is readers who make the story come alive and each one interprets and imagines the book into being. The process of reading, like writing, can be solitary as well. My feelings about all my favorite books are as personal and powerful to me as my feelings about my friends and family. And like those feelings, sometimes it is hard to describe the way a book has moved or changed me. Other times, it is impossible to keep quiet about a great story. The experience of reading a good book feels so real that I have to remind myself that it didn’t happen to me.

I lived with the story of Cat Rucker for a long time. She was in my head when I woke up and often appeared in my dreams. I knew her almost as well as I knew myself, or maybe even better. Over the years I came to understand why she was the way she was and how she might be able to transcend some of the challenges of her life. Her story is not an easy one, her experiences and choices are intense, she struggles and doesn’t always succeed. In other words, she is human.

I would welcome the opportunity to have you meet Cat and read her story, then I would love to know what you thought, how her story affected you and if you believe we are the product of our choices or our experiences.

For me, the point of writing, like reading, is to ask questions and open a dialogue, to provide a venue to connect, to share and to find ourselves somewhere we have never been before. What you bring to The Last Bridge is invaluable, as it is your heart, your mind and your imagination that makes the story real. I think of it like a cake I baked for just for you. I used the best ingredients and made it as tasty as possible. All that is left is for you to take a bite! (Great…all this talk of cake has made me hungry!)

If you want to learn more about Ms. Coyne check out her website, blog and you can follow her on Twitter and Facebook as well.

Don't forget to enter our giveaway for The Last Bridge!