Join me for a live draft of my upcoming novel, Things That Can’t Be Broken.
What is a Live Draft?
I will essentially be publishing a draft of my novel directly to you. Keep in mind that it has only been edited by me and what you read will be either the first or second draft.
When you subscribe, you’ll take part in my authorship by:
1.) providing me with accountability
2.) possibly influencing the final draft with your constructive comments
Sound interesting?
First, I want to make sure what I’m writing is likely what you prefer to read.
Things That Can’t Be Broken
Lisa Cartwright is living her dream along with her high school sweetheart while raising their bright energetic daughter, Dani, in a simple neighborhood just east of San Diego. Nine-year-old Dani makes a fervent promise that there will always be horses in her life, so when she finds out her next-door neighbor won a scholarship to an exclusive horsemanship program, she vows to win one too. But she never gets the chance.
Things That Can’t Be Broken explores the mother-daughter bond, the vulnerability of children, and the impact of violence on mental health and relationships. It takes place from 1980 to the present day across four seemingly unrelated lives that are swept up and dispersed in the wake of a child’s violent death, a child some of them never even met. Yet there is hope for healing through human connection and the strength of Dani’s promise, for even in heaven there must be horses.
COMPARABLE FICTION
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry, by Fredrik Backman
A precocious child and the interplay of relationships
The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
Includes the violent death of a child, but not a murder mystery or revenge story
Small World, by Jonathan Evison
Multiple separate lives followed over a length of time and connected by a single event
Things That Can’t Be Broken launched August 30, 2024, but you can start reading anytime.
Need to catch up on missed chapters?
Subscription to the live draft is free. If you subscribe you will get an email from me every Saturday containing the next chapter or a Behind-the-Scenes Extra post.
Don’t worry, only one email per week. You will have full access to the entire novel on my website as I write it, plus fun extra posts about the writing process, some character interviews, and other geeky writer stuff.
Choose to upgrade to a paid subscription if you like what you’re reading and want to show your support, but there is no obligation.
The Author
I have published a lot of words over my career, although most have comprised promotional copy, instruction manuals, and product descriptions. I have always written creatively as well, everything from poetry and picture books to short stories. Things That Can’t Be Broken will be the first novel I publish. Right here. Chapter by Chapter.
For examples of some of my previous creative projects and a little background about me, visit my portfolio website.
Or follow me on Instagram, @s_w_haynes
Thank you for being here.
Love it! Great job! YES, THERE ARE HORSES IN HEAVEN🤗