Firstly, thank you to Isabella for inviting me over to her blog during my ‘Chindi Author of the Week’ which happens to coincide with publication of my second novel, The Coal Miner’s Son.
Why write a trilogy? Well, there are a couple of reasons really.
- As a writer I don’t want to say goodbye to my characters.
- If readers love your characters then they too want more.
I felt such a loss when finishing my debut novel, House of Grace, that I decided to continue the story. I was glad I did because I soon discovered that my readers were invested too.
Writing a trilogy isn’t easy though. For instance, the writer needs to keep track of characters. How old are they? What colour eyes, hair, etc do they have?’ When are their birthdays? What were their names?
The Coal Miner’s Son was no exception to the above and I’m perhaps not as organised as some writers because I know a lot of writers use Scrivener which I believe has Notice Boards to pin certain details. Writer friends have told me how valuable this is, and it is on my list to learn, whenever I get a moment, but that moment hasn’t arrived yet. I therefore tend to have everything written down in a notebook with the more frequent details required pinned to my PC using a computer sticky note. But sometimes that isn’t enough and I have to wade through my manuscripts to see, for example, what a character with a small role was called.
My final book in the trilogy is ‘The Granville Legacy’ although by the time I get to publication I may have changed its name. However for now, that’s the title and I hope it stands. I’m halfway through this third book and I not only have to flit through House of Grace but The Coal Miner’s Son too, to ensure I get the correct details.
There was one instance where I brought a character from House of Grace into book 3. Because she was not in the Coal Miner’s Son, I had misremembered her name as Jessica only to discover (thankfully I checked) that in House of Grace she was Rebecca. It’s little things like this that the writer needs to be conscious of because there will be a sharp reader out there who will remember this character, despite only being featured for a few lines in the first book.
Ending the trilogy.
Although the story will have concluded at the end of the trilogy, the ‘House of Grace’ series will have not. There is the potential to write standalone novels or novellas to develop characters in the series who don’t have much of a voice and the reader doesn’t get a chance to find out these characters’ stories. For instance, Charlotte Cunningham who makes her first appearance in House of Grace and returns in ‘The Granville Legacy’ has her own story to tell. Also because the ‘House of Grace’ trilogy is a family saga the series can go on indefinitely with stories about the different generations. So ‘House of Grace’ is going to be around for a while.
Once again thank you to Isabella.
The Coal Miner’s Son
After tragedy hits the small coal mining village of Wintermore, nine-year-old miner’s son, George, is sent to Granville Hall to live with his titled grandparents. Caught up in a web of treachery and deceit, George grows up believing his mother sold him. He’s determined to make her pay, but at what cost? Is he strong enough to rebel?
Will George ever learn to forgive?
Step back into the 60s and follow George as he struggles with bereavement, rejection and a kidnapping that changes his life forever. Resistance is George’s only hope.
My books can be found on Amazon at the links below
Books may also be ordered at any reputable bookstore or from your local library by quoting ISBN numbers
ISBN 9780995710702 – House of Grace
ISBN 9780995710719 – The Coal Miner’s Son
About Patricia M Osborne
Patricia M Osborne is married with grown-up children and grandchildren. She was born in Liverpool but now lives in West Sussex. In 2019 she graduated with an MA in Creative Writing (University of Brighton).
Patricia writes novels, poetry and short fiction, and has been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. Her first poetry pamphlet ‘Taxus Baccata’ is to be published by Hedgehog Poetry Press during 2020.
She has a successful blog at Patriciamosbornewriter.com where she features other writers and poets. When Patricia isn’t working on her own writing, she enjoys sharing her knowledge, acting as a mentor to fellow writers and as an online poetry tutor with Writers’ Bureau.
The Coal Miner’s Son is the second book in the House of Grace trilogy.
Isabella Muir 