The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand

Robin’s Rave Reviews 2018

Reading goes hand-in-hand with writing. Writers need to be reading. So in between writing, researching how to get published, building my social network/platform, and living life, I still find time to read.

I just finished The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand which I would highly recommend. The story revolves around twin sisters who are nothing alike. One raised by her mother, the other by her father; one lives on Nantucket, the other on Martha’s Vineyard; one is very proper, the other leaps into trouble because she doesn’t think first. They have been at odds with each other for years until a family tragedy forces them to cross paths. Only they can decide if blood is thicker than the water that divides them.

What I liked: The characters became like family to me. They were realistic and interesting. When I finished the last page, I didn’t want to leave their world. I didn’t notice any slow spots in the story. I just wanted to keep reading! Elin used a smart parallel structure in her writing to masterfully show the differences in the women while also showcasing the differences between their two islands. You will enjoy her nod to The Parent Trap when the women switch lives as they try to work out their personal issues.

Fun Side Note: Elin has a twin brother. Obviously they aren’t identical, but she knows a thing or two about twinning!

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June 29, 2018August 31, 2018

And so it begins…

I am so excited! I just got this author website up and running, I’m writing my first blog post, and I’m preparing to pitch my book to several agents at a writer’s conference in about two weeks. My author life just jumped into hyper-drive.

A new chapter in my life has begun. Although I’ve been writing for a lifetime, I recently retired from my career and started giving my writing the time it needs and deserves. I kept getting the same questions from friends and colleagues: What are you going to do when you retire? What are you going to do with all that free time? The funny thing is, I’m just as busy now. I’ve been able to spend more time with my family as well as with my computer in my home office writing away. I’m as happy as a clam. (Such a strange saying. Does anyone really know if a clam is happy?) Continue reading “And so it begins…”

June 29, 2018July 13, 2018

“The first sentence can’t be written until the final sentence is written.” -Joyce Carol Oates, Writer’s Digest

I recently finished my first book, The Lighthouse Legacy. I mean, really finished it. I thought it was finished about two years ago, but I was never happy with the opening. Convincing myself that it was fine, I began sending a few query letters out to agents. It was then that it hit me. If an agent requested my first 50 pages, those first 50 pages just weren’t good enough to get a manuscript request. I had to do something. So . . . I sat on it. You know, I did nothing. I knew it needed work, but I didn’t know what to do with it.

A few weeks ago I participated in a beach glass jewelry making class offered at the local public library. A day later it dawned on me that my character could do the same, and it would set up the rest of my story perfectly! So like Joyce Carol Oates said, “The first sentence can’t be written until the final sentence is written.” Apparently that was true for me, at least for this book. The final sentence was written long before the beginning scene took shape. You never know when or where inspiration will hit. If you are a writer and are struggling with your beginning, hopefully you’ll find it without waiting as long as I did.

We all like happy endings, but I’m happy I’ve found my beginning!

Happy writing and reading,

Robin