Nature versus Nurture (plus book giveaway)

by Laura O'Connell

Thank you, Narelle, for having me here today.

Christmas, and the end of the year are fast approaching. It’s a time for me to look back to where I’ve been and what I’ve achieved. It is at this point I ponder what might have happened had I done things differently and whether I made the best use of my strengths and abilities.

It’s been a challenging year for me, but a year I am thankful I have lived because I have had to make some difficult decisions and take a long hard look at the truth behind those decisions. Everyone has to make choices every day of their lives. Those choices can be life changing and can have repercussions years later.

In my latest novel, Web of Lies, Lachlan and Stephanie had life changing experiences at seventeen and sixteen when Stephanie learned she was pregnant. She was caring for her sick aunt and Lachlan had a climbing accident that put him in a coma for eleven months. Aunt Sonia and Lachlan’s parents wanted what was best for the young people. They pressured Stephanie into giving Ryan up for adoption. Eight years later, when Lachlan and Stephanie reconnect, they find out about all the lies that were told to protect their child. They are forced into making a decision they don’t want to make.

Web of Lies is a story about love and forgiveness. Parents want the best for their children, so much so they sometimes step in and try to influence their young one’s decisions. No matter how well-intentioned the parents are, their decisions may not be in the best interests of their children, often robbing them of the opportunity for personal growth through hardship.

Web of Lies was inspired by my experiences as a teenager when I was becoming more aware of the world around me. I noticed some of my classmates disappeared from school for a few months of the year and returned with no explanation of where they had been. They were sad and withdrawn and my heart ached for them. When I found out they had given birth and had to give their baby up for adoption I was shocked, and wished I could do something for them. There was no welfare to support the young mothers back then, so they had no choice but to give their child up for adoption.

I wondered what would happen if the baby was given to a relative to rear unbeknown to the mother. Web of Lies is the result of that wondering. To this day, some of these adoptive mothers have never been re-united with their baby. They have had to live with wondering about where their child might be and what they might be doing now. Their hearts must be in a perpetual state of pain as in the dark of night their thoughts turn to the beautiful child they gave up for adoption and wished they hadn’t.

What are your thoughts on nature versus nurture? Leave a comment so that you can go into the draw to win a copy of Web of Lies.

LAURA O'CONNELL enjoys writing stories about second chances in love and life. She calls the Gold Coast home, however, her curious nature leads her on adventures to locations that surprise and inspire her. Laura has a passion for telling a good story set in places where she has lived and travelled.

Back cover blurb:

High school sweethearts, Stephanie and Lachlan are torn apart by circumstance, bad decisions and a web of lies, leaving an unknown future for their son, Ryan.

Eight years later they reconnect, but the time apart has changed them. The family had made decisions based on lies and deceit and now must find a way to either reveal the truth or find another option. On the surface, their arrangements seemed flawless, but dig deeper, and the people they thought they knew aren’t as they appear.

Lachlan and Stephanie are forced to confront the consequences of their actions and the entire family is compelled to reveal the truth, find forgiveness, and renew loving one another. But the hardest decision is still to come … where does Ryan live?

Narelle: By commenting on today’s post and answering Laura's question (What are your thoughts on nature versus nurture?) you can enter the drawing to win a copy of Web Of Lies. The drawing will take place on Friday, December 21 and the winner announced on Sunday, December 23. Please leave an email address [ ] at [ ] dot [ ] where you can be reached. Print copy available for Australian mailing addresses and electronic copy for international.

"Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws."

Testing Faith

by Laura O'Connell

Have you ever had a book that you started a long time ago that you’re wondering if it will ever be finished? You’ve revised it countless times, some parts of it more than others, and still you’re not happy with it?

I have one such work in progress that has had its fair share of revisions with three different plots, all with countless re-writes. I just can’t seem to get my head around where I’m supposed to be going with it. I started this work when I was working full-time, in my other life fifteen years ago. I’ve been fortunate to have critique partners who have looked at the work and given wonderful constructive criticism. However in each of those critiques, I found different ways of telling the story and how it might be told. All wonderful and inspiring ideas: thank you critique partners!

The writing of this manuscript is tough. At the moment I’m wondering if I should delete the work from my hard drive and forget I ever thought about writing it. What will this achieve? No more manuscript, great, but the memory will still be there lurking in the shadows peering into the light every now and then to remind me it’s still there. I have to deal with this manuscript in a positive way. I’m not one to run and hide when challenges arise. I looked at this one and asked what my motivation for writing this story is?

What a surprise and the Lord has definitely been doing some work in me! I wrote it thinking it was going to be a bestseller. That no one had ever thought of this plot and I was the chosen one to tell this story. I was in my infancy in my walk with Jesus and believed this book would change the world. Certainly, I needed a reality check and a good lesson in how to be humble. This is at the basis of why it has taken me so long to get this work finished.

Back at the drawing board, I sent my ego packing and asked the Lord to check my heart and erase this false motivation and find the real answer to why it should be written. Not only has the writing of this book tested my faith, but my patience, and the acceptance of where I’ve come from. What a journey! So another draft to write and then maybe another and another. However long it takes, I’m here for the long haul and may the story be better than I could have imagined and more importantly, I will become a better person through the experience.

I want to encourage you today: if you’re finding the writing task difficult, take the time to examine why you’re writing that project. You might be surprised at the journey you’ve been on to get this far and that elusive worm that’s holding you back may work its way through your work to surprise you.

Laura O’Connell lives with her husband, Frank, in tropical Queensland, Australia. She writes women’s fiction that inspires and challenges. You can connect with her at her website at http://laura-oconnell.com. Her next work, Web of Lies is currently being edited and a release date will be advised on her website and Facebook page as soon as the editing is finalised.