So, the new book, A Few Kinds of Wrong, is gone to print and I wonder if maybe I should change the name of this blog to A Few Kinds of Wrong. I think I’ll keep it as this much is true, but expect to hear lots about the new book. The blurb can be found up top there by clicking on the Writing tab, where you’ll also find some things other people have said about it (ahem, Bernice Morgan and Michelle Butler Hallett) so you can read that but what’s it really about? Good question. I have trouble answering that, to be honest. I’m not much for synopses. That’s why I write novels and not short stories. Short and sweet is not my forte. So, to explain a whole book in a few lines is hard. It’s about Jennifer Collins. She’s a mechanic and parts of the story are set in her garage. It was her father’s garage but after his death it became hers. Only problem is her soon-to-be-ex-husband has laid claim to the garage too and wants to not only own 20 percent but also wants to work there. See, he’s never really let Jennifer go. But Jennifer hates him so, needless to say, she’s not too happy about this turn of events. Then there’s Jennifer’s grandmother, who Jennifer visits in an attempt to forget about her father’s death; Jennifer’s mom, Grace; Jennifer’s friends, Michelle and BJ; the ever-present memory of Jennifer’s father, Jack; her aunt, Henrietta; and Bryce, the best friend of Jennifer’s father. Those are the players, for the most part.

I really think A Few Kinds of wrong is a love story, but not in any traditional sense. It could have been called A Few Kinds of Love because it’s about romantic love, love between a father and daughter, between a mother and daughter, grandmother and grandaughter, and love between friends. It’s about love and how it’s expressed (or not), mistaken perceptions about love, love that makes you help decieve, love that makes you decieve yourself, and even tough love. All the people in Jennifer’s life have something to do with the wrongs there, they remind her of them or are part of them. But they all love her and she loves all of them in some way. So I really think that’s what’s at the heart of the book. So why call it A Few Kinds of Wrong? Well, that’s a story for another blog post.