LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU: Chapter One, Scene 5
I’m not sure about other writers, but I never come up with a theme for a novel until after the first draft is written. Theme is organic in nature, and rises to the surface of the narrative as the story takes shape. What is the theme of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU?
If had to put it in one sentence it would be this: SHADOWS is about the redeeming power of love and friendship. None of us escapes pain. Our human connections are our saving grace. Brannagh learns acceptance and letting go. There comes a time in everyone’s life when they are drawn towards revisiting the past and laying it to rest. This is part of Brannagh’s journey. She’s kind of stuck, I think, because she really just wants to avoid it all and get on with life. But, as is often the case, it won’t let her go. We are often drawn back, again and again, to the very thing we want to shy away from. Luckily, Brannagh has three loyal childhood friends who won’t let her drift away. They pull her back.
As promised, I’m posting consecutive scenes from Chapter One weekly, leading up to the official launch on May 10th. Hope you enjoy the next instalment. Just click EXCERPT on the menu above. Each scene is separated by a *.
Kathy-Diane Leveille
Author of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU
ISBN:978-1601641670
“Leveille’s writing sings of heartbreak and redemption, and the wicked dancing moments in-between.” Carol Bruneau author of Purple for Sky
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Kathy-Diane Leveille
Author of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU
ISBN:978-1601641670
“It’s often said, but not usually with such eloquence, that the only one you can’t outrun is you. Kathy-Diane Leveille writes with passion and assurance of a woman who risks sacrificing far too much to try to erase the things she knows are true.” -Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean
LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU: Chapter 1, Scene 4
LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU begins when Brannagh’s boyfriend, Nikki, disappears on a bird count up north. His vanishing has sinister undertones because she doesn’t know if he left voluntarily, because of something she did or didn’t do, or if there’s been foul play (as there was in her mother’s murder years ago). Nikki’s work as a wildlife preservationist exacerbates that fear. Would big business go to any length, even murder, to keep him from completing his work? The bird count takes place in 1978 before a large dam is going to be built in Lake of the Woods. Readers are asking if this is based on a true event.
No. It is completely fictitious. However, the Canadian Wildlife Service did do bird counts in that area and also in New Brunswick in the 1970’s. I researched those for the novel. I also belong to the Saint John Naturalist’s club and am aware of various bird counts being carried out across Canada. Today, of course, there’s a huge concern with global warming. We’re changing the habitat and migration patterns of wildlife, and the fear is that it’s to the point of no return. Studying wildlife migration patterns, tells us a lot. I’m just an amateur birder, though, not an expert. However, like many people, I’m very concerned. I created the fictitious story in the 1970’s because I remember the passion for issues that existed back then and the mistrust of government and big corporations. How many imagined in the 1970’s that we actually would let ourselves get into the environmental situation that we are in today?
As promised, I’m posting consecutive scenes from Chapter One of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU as we lead up to the official launch on May 10. Only 2 weeks to go! Just click EXCERPT in the menu at the top of the page to read the next installment. Each scene is separated by a *.
Happy Reading!
Kathy-Diane
Author of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU
ISBN: 978-1601641670
“Picturing ordinary people in extraordinary situations, and recording their impressions with an intense clarity we associate more with black and white photos, Leveille is blessed with a flash of insight that lets the readers see far beyond the surface.”- The Chronicle Journal
http://kathy-dianeleveille.com
SHADOWS VBT: Handbags and Books
I’m talking about my new suspense novel LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU today on Vicki Batman’s blog “Handbags and Books.” I’m a member of International Thrill Writers, Canadian Crime Writers, Sisters in Crime and RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter. I met Vicki through RWA which has over 10,000 members. Kiss of Death is the romantic suspense chapter and allows me to rub elbows with some of my favourite authors. I’ve met hundreds of writers over the years. and have to say that romance writers are the friendliest, most generous members of our craft, whose talents run the gamut from penning light and steamy HQ series to heart-pounding paranormal and mystery to timeless and rich multi-layered epics. Oh, and did I mention sense of humour? Vicki’s Timely Tips crack me up: The price of wearing cute shoes is 5 Band-Aids. One can never carry too many handbags. And my favourite: Donuts should never be wasted!
Drop by and say hello.
SHADOWS in KVStyle Magazine
LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU was the cover story in KVStyle Magazine. Hurray! The best part is that you can’t see the dustballs in my house in any of the photographs:
“As Quispamsis author Kathy-Diane Leveille releases her suspense novel Let the Shadows Fall Behind You she credits the Kennebecasis River for filling her with inspiration
Kathy-Diane Leveille has always been intrigued by disappearances…”
Chapter 1, scene 3:LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU
When Brannagh was growing up, she and her friends formed an all-girls club called the Tuatha-De-Danaans. Brannagh chose the name based on stories her Irish Gran wove about her ancestors. According to legend, this Celtic tribe was known for their expertise in magic and the healing arts; fairy mythology sprang from their history. In SHADOWS, Brannagh, Annie, Diane and Tish create their own unique recitation to open their club meetings, but here’s an authentic morning prayer from “Celtic Daily Prayers and Blessings” by respected shaman, Caitlin Matthews:
I brighten my soul on the threshold of welcome,
Greeting of love,
Greeting of life, greeting of light.
Inspire my heart, my mind, my body this Spring day
May my soul be peacefully preserved
From crown of light to veil of night.
I’m posting a new scene from Chapter One each week leading up to the official launch of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU on May 10 at the Saint John Arts Center. I hope you enjoy Scene 3 posted in Excerpt on the menu above. (Note: Each scene is separated by a *.)
Shadows called Rich and Beautiful!
I’ve always enjoyed reading journalist Don Graves’ column CANADIAN MYSTERIES in The Hamilton Spectator. So I was thrilled when he gave LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU a nod last week. Here’s an excerpt:
Let the Shadows Fall Behind You by Kathy-Diane Leveille peels away the layers behind a murder, the need to deceive, to hide the past and cover it up with a pattern of respectability despite a trail of ruined lives and festering questions that could destroy the future.
A young woman returns to a small East Coast town to attend a reunion. Her instincts warn her against it as her lover has disappeared without a trace…
A gentle pace with compassionately descriptive writing is the right vehicle for author, Leveille, to tell a story of relationships that unravel as old, uncertain conflicts surface and begin to agonizingly make sense to the young woman.
A murder, a past still preying upon the souls of those involved, is always an unwelcome and intrusive guest. Let the Shadows Fall Behind You tells that chronicle with poignancy, wistful descriptions of small town life and punchy characterizations that expose hard truths.
Sadly rich and beautiful writing.
Chapter One, Scene 2: LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU
Brannagh Maloney is the name of the protagonist of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU. Brannagh is a lyrical Celtic name, but what does it mean?
Brannagh (pronounced BRAN-NA) comes from the Celtic BRAN which means raven. According to some sources, it was once used to refer to beauty via hair as black and shiny as a raven’s wing. I immediately loved the reference to raven (Poe) and darkness because, throughout the novel, Brannagh is trapped beneath the shadow of the dark wing of her past. It is only when she solves her mother’s chilling murder that she is finally able to slip out from beneath the shadows.
I’m posting a new scene from Chapter One each week, leading up to the book launch at the Saint John Arts Center on May 10th. Just click EXCERPT FROM SHADOWS on my menu bar at the top of the screen. I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 1, Scene 1: Let the Shadows Fall Behind You
Hurray! It’s April 1 and LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU is officially for sale on-line at Amazon, B & N, Chapters, Coles and Indigo. KV Style Magazine just dropped by my house to take some photos and do an interview for a cover story on April 10. It was great to meet reporter, Candice MacLean, from Cape Breton. The photographer had me treck down to the Kennebecasis River so he could a few shots with it in the backdrop, as Brannagh’s story unfolds in the cottage on its banks. I can hardly wait to see how it all turns out.
LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU will be on the floor in the book stores come May1 as all the book signings begin. As we build up to the official launch at the Saint John Arts Center on May 10, I’ve going to post consecutive scenes from Chapter One every week. I’m one of those writers whose novels only have a dozen chapters because they’re long. I hope you enjoy Brannagh’s story. If someone you loved disappeared, how far would you go to forget?
Don’t start reading Leveille at breakfast if you want to get to work on time. -Voyage North CBC Thunder Bay
