WRITING THE BEGINNING AFTER THE END

POSTED BY: GENIE GABRIEL

www.GenieGabriel.com

Available March 2015

In most of my writing projects, there comes a point of, "Why did I think I could to this?"

This hit especially strong with the prequel to my Halo Legacy series, Why Did Bernie Have to Die? This will be a March 2015 release. 

All started out well. I knew the characters--I had already written nine books with them. I knew what had to happen in this book from the foundation I laid before writing the series. 

Then came the big "buts." 

--But I've never killed off a main character before. However, this was a prequel to the series and Bernie was dead when the rest of the (already published) series began.

--But I don't like leaving hanging, unresolved threads of the plot in a book. Another however--these threads aren't completely resolved until the last book of the (already published) series. 

I wrote the prequel anyway, trying to comfort myself that the rest of the books are already available if someone wants to know right now how the mystery is solved and the answer to the question, Why Did Bernie Have to Die?

Here's a sneak peak excerpt from the prequel to the Halo Legacy series.

***

Bernie's heartbeat stuttered as his old pickup topped the gentle rise of land that marked the boundary of his grandparents' farm. The burned out remains of the old house slammed memories as hard as a fist into his gut as he braked to a stop.

The flames licked greedily up the brick chimney, consuming the tinder dry wood siding, and lighting up the night sky. Bernie bellowed in helpless rage, dunking himself in the water trough used for livestock before plunging into the flames and toward the bedroom his grandparents had shared since their marriage decades earlier. 

Fury fueled his strength as he cradled his grandmother in his arms and carried her outside, then returned for his grandfather. He laid them side by side on the cool, damp grass, searching frantically for a pulse. But he knew it was futile. They were already dead. 

Tallie laid her hand over Bernie's whitened knuckles. Through the sheen of his tears, he saw the mirror of his sadness in her eyes. He turned his hand over and clasped hers tightly.

Together, they would rebuild. A house. A family. A legacy this town would never forget. 

***