If I were asked to describe my new suspense novel in one sentence, it would be this. The Barnes think they have seen tragedy, but nothing could prepare them for the harsh reality they are about to experience.
That harsh reality is the alter personality of Jennifer Barnes, being introduced to the world, and used against her oldest brother Jacob as he attempts to run for mayor, after raising both she and her other brother Justin when their parents were killed in a car crash over ten years before.
It all started back in 1999, when I decided to place characters based off of myself and a few other friends in a storyline. But as I began writing the first story, there were other characters that seemed to steal the scene a little more.
When the Barnes siblings first appeared, Jacob ran an engraving shop in the mall, Justin was still somewhat of a troublemaker, and Jennifer was a writer, about to embark on a co-ownership of a movie theater that was being renovated and reopened…only to discover a cult had beat them to it, and didn’t want to give up their “hangout”. Justin ended up killed in this first storyline, with Jennifer’s best friend left carrying his child. Ten years later, after I stopped writing the series, something told me to give it another shot. The original storyline went horribly wrong, it was like my muse had a stroke. I decided to bring the characters back under a different storyline. The new storyline included Jacob running for mayor, and I killed off the parents, forcing Jacob to become a guardian of his two siblings at 22. Long story short, I fell in love with the characters I had created ten years ago and believed they deserved a second chance. Besides, it wasn’t their fault they had a misguided muse.
As I got more into what would eventually be titled In Jen’s Words, I was very surprised to discover Jennifer Barnes turned out to have DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) in this storyline. Midway through writing it, I had to stop to do some research on the disorder. I found that it interested me very much, and the possibilities seemed endless with potential storylines for a series.
Below is an excerpt you will not find on my website:
After speaking his sister’s name several times into the receiver, with no response, Jacob hung up. He tried calling back, but got a busy signal.
He hadn’t talked to Danny for more than five minutes. She couldn’t have gotten tired of waiting for him.
He sat down on an armchair nearby, trying to tell himself this was nothing. But ever since Scott had shown up at the store earlier, he felt a little on edge. Scott was the last person either of them needed to see at this time. Just seeing him brought back all the anger he felt back then.
He could still remember that night. He was at work, trying to close up for the evening. He had been running late because Dan had gone home sick and he had gotten swamped with computers needing repaired.
Justin had been the one to reach him. He had been home and got the call from the police. Their sister had been raped. They needed Jacob to come to the hospital. He had been so upset, he nearly forgot to lock up the store when he left.
The moment he laid eyes on Jen, he could have crumbled. She had a few cuts and bruises on her arms and face, but she said she had done that on some bushes trying to get away from Scott. The police had said the cuts were consistent with those of a thorn bush.
But it didn’t matter to Jacob. He had been responsible for her, and he screwed up. Even though she was of age, and she was no longer his responsibility, he still felt every bit that she was.
What would ensue from that moment on, was months of tension and emotional turmoil. The case went to court, and the argument went back and forth. His sister said she told him no, she passed out and he did it anyway. She woke up to find him pulling out of her. Scott said she seemed to become a totally different person and gave in to him, was willing. He never forced anything on her, even though he did admit to being drunk. His arrest report said his blood alcohol level was .12, while his sister’s barely made it to .08. It seemed to be a sure thing he would go down for the crime, until one of the jurors posted a blog about the trial. As a consequence, Adams’ lawyer got the judge to declare a mistrial.
Jacob willed himself to stop thinking about it. Just because Scott was in his store didn’t mean something had happened to his sister. Shaking inside, he got up, grabbed his keys and went out the door.
Even though I may share the same name as my main character, our only similarity is our love for writing. Jen Barnes is a writer, as is her alter-personality Tammy. That can also make for some good plot line developments, as you will see in the book.
To keep up to date with news, reviews, and more stop by www.jenniferbrownauthor.weebly.com. You can also follow me on twitter www.twitter.com/jenbrownauthor, and like In Jen’s Words at www.facebook.com/InJensWords.
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