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Why I Wrote My PitchWars Novel

Posted by Rachel on November 1, 2014 in current event, inspiration | ∞

People always ask, “What’s your book about?” But the question often ignored is, “Why did you write your book?” That’s where this blog hop comes in!

I think it’s fair to say every writer decides to put words on paper because the story speaks to them in some way. If you’re like me, you can hear the characters in your head and you know their tale must be told.

For my novel, The Bootlegger’s Bible, which was chosen for PitchWars by epic mentors Stephanie Garber and Stacey Lee, the nagging thoughts in my head to write this story came mostly from my childhood. My parents come from different religious backgrounds and for my entire life we’ve celebrated the holidays of each faith. I grew up immersed in both cultures, the traditions, the viewpoints and seeing how they weren’t always fond of each other. From that, my characters started to emerge until I could hear their voices and their old fashioned slang.

Now, to be fair, my youth didn’t exactly consist of an alternate version of the 1940’s, like in my novel, where the Second World War and Prohibition coexist. But I have always been fascinated by the gangster era. So when I thought about these families and when their story should be told, Prohibition seemed like an obvious setting. Especially given the warring neighborhoods and the everyday man turning on their friends and family.

Starting with those basic building blocks, my novel blossomed from (what I consider) a pretty cool idea into a fully fledged world. I loved exploring all the alternate history possibilities and watching my characters transform into people. It’s been such an incredible ride and I honestly have never loved this story more.

I know I’m not alone in having a great “behind the book” story, so be sure to check out all these other awesome PitchWars participants and learn about their journeys.

Carleen Karanovic: HOPE ON A FEATHER

Heather Truett: RENASCENCE

Tracie Martin: WILD IS THE WIND

Susan Bickford: FRAMED

Rachel Sarah: RULES FOR RUNNING AWAY

Amanda Rawson Hill: GRIMM AND BEAR IT

Charlotte Gruber: CODE OF SILENCE

Kip Wilson: THE MOST DAZZLING GIRL IN BERLIN

Mary Ann Nicholson: CALAMITY

Nikki Roberti: THE TRUTH ABOUT TWO-SHOES

Anna Patel: EXODUS

K. A. Reynolds: LE CIRQUE DU LITERATI

Susan Crispell: WISHES TO NOWHERE

Ron Walters: THE GOLEM INITIATIVE

Rosalyn Eves: THE BLOOD ROSE REBELLION

Ashley Poston: HEART OF IRON

Mara Rutherford: WINTERSOUL

Janet Walden-West: Damned If She Do

Kazul Wolf: SUMMER THUNDER

S. D. Grimm: WITCHER

Kelli Newby: THORNVAAL

Tara Sim: TIMEKEEPER

Elliah Terry: POCKET FULL OF POPPIES

Alessa Hinlo: THE HONEST THIEF

Rachel Horwitz: THE BOOTLEGGER’S BIBLE

Whitney Taylor: DEFINITIONS OF INDEFINABLE THINGS

Lyra Selene: REVERIE

Natalie Williamson: SET IN STONE

Robin Lemke: THE DANCE OF THE PALMS

Stephanie Herman: CLIFF WITH NO EDGE

Shannon Cooley: A FROG, A WHISTLE, AND A VIAL OF SAND

Ruth Anne Snow: THE GIRLS OF MARCH

Elizabeth Dimit: PHOEBE FRANZ’S GUIDE TO PASSPORTS, PAGEANTS, & PARENTAL DISASTERS

Gwen C. Katz: AMONG THE RED STARS

Jennifer Hawkins: FALSE START

Kelly DeVos: THE WHITE LEHUA

Gina Denny: SANDS OF IMMORTALITY

Natasha M. Heck: FOLLOW THE MOON

Esher Hogan – Walking After Midnight

D.A. Mages: THE MEMORY OF OBJECTS

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