Introducing Portrait of an Unlikely Affair

Happy Friday!

Welcome to our third installment of Fun Fact Friday, or Your Morning Tidbit (if you are on those other platforms.) Last week we finished up the Cedar Grove series. Don't worry, there is still more fun facts and trivia about the series to be had, but I just want to introduce you to the stories I have available right now.  

This week I'd like to introduce you to the characters I have known the longest. Their story starts off a 5-book series (at the moment) called Portrait of an Unlikely Affair. Let's have a look at this now.

The description for the book reads as follows: "A celebrity with a pedigree, Avonlea Stone was used to her life being certain – living a certain lifestyle, being treated a certain way, and dating a certain type of man. After being attacked by an obsessed fan at nineteen, she broke off her engagement and hid, avoiding the spotlight in her own life until she decided to take a chance on dating again. However, she never expected that her new boyfriend would be the key to finding the very thing she didn’t know she was looking for. A simple trip home to meet his parents started her on an adventure that would test everything she ever thought about herself and offer her a chance at a life she never knew she wanted."

OK, so these days, there are some of us who don't have a high opinion of celebrities and don't put much stock in anything they say and do. On the opposite end, there are others who know more about their favorite celebrity than they do their own family and consider it torture if they have to miss something their favorite celebrity does or says. Then, as always, there are those people who are in between with varying degrees between "don't care. I just like the movie/show/whatever, I don't care who's in it/sings it/whatever;" to "Yeah, sure, I'll watch/listen to anything this person says because they're just good." It doesn't matter which category you fall into. I know I fall into the first category and don't have any favorite celebrity (except an author but I only really care if they keep writing) so it already is puzzling that I'd have a character be that which I don't really care about. 

TRIVIA ALERT:  Portrait of an Unlikely Affair was copyrighted in 2019, but it has never been published, with the exception of proof copies. Its existence was only ever shared with probably two or three people other than myself...Until a couple weeks ago. 

The description on Amazon points us to Avonlea Stone, a celebrity, to draw you in. But Portrait of an Unlikely Affair really follows the life and story of a rather mysterious man named Brian Ridley. He first showed up in my writing way back in the past as an idea I couldn't shake loose, but I had to write that idea down. That idea took up about two pages of binder paper and then grew. In fact, this idea, or rather, my introduction to Brian, is included in the second novel of the series, but we'll discuss that later. The more I 'saw' of Brian's life, the more I thought how preposterous it was, how horrible people could be, how messed up his life was, and how completely unbelievable the whole thing was. Even if I did ever write, I wouldn't want to write "that kind" of story. 

But yet, I couldn't stop. 

Then Avonlea came into the story, and at this point in writing this introduction of the book, I should really open up the thesaurus to find more words for "preposterous, unbelievable, could never happen, and are you frickin' kidding me?" But you get the point. Again, not exactly someone I'd ever write about.

Over the next three and a half decades, the characters of Portrait, and their story, was something I constantly, and consistently, worked on. When I began writing it, their story took place in the future; however, now, their story begins in the past. Many times I would stay up into the wee hours of the morning, or wake up in the middle of the night and just start writing. Sometimes a random something someone said, a place I went, or even the weather outside would send me to writing their story. I had hoped their story would be enough to fill one novel, as it would be feast or famine when it came to writing it. Then, once again and all of a sudden, I found myself with over 500 pages and had to rework the story to divide it into two separate novels. Then they surprised me with a third novel, and for quite some time, I figured that was it. The "Trilogy" was done. (Woo-hoo, what a feat!)

Boy was I wrong. 

Almost 2500 pages across five books, it is really the series I never expected to ever write.

I always knew at some point I'd share the Cedar Grove series with others, but I never thought I'd ever share Brian and Avonlea with anyone. As I have said from the beginning about this series, this is a different story. It is a wild ride and I am surprised to have written it. But, I am grateful to share their story with you, for whatever it's worth. While writing all five books, I'd be typing away while thinking, "Wow. Well, that's different. Where'd that come from? Not exactly what I'd write, but okay. Let's see where this goes." 

So let's do that. 

Let's see where this goes because, apparently, it is the right time to share them with you. 

So, with that introduction, I present to you the first book of the Portrait of an Unlikely Affair series.  It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea (and that's life) but boy, is it going to be something. What an adventure!

Thanks for stopping by and hanging out with me today. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day and have a great weekend!!💕

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Have you read Along the Way, Wherever It Goes, or Portrait of an Unlikely Affair? Have questions, comments, concerns about frightening grammar mistakes, or just burning curiosity about something in the story? Leave a comment, give me a review, or send me a message -- I'm easy to reach.  Like it👍, Love it💖, and Share💃!

Get Portrait of an Unlikely Affair now!