Guest blogger Carrie Lofty
January 7th, 2010 by Edie Ramer
A Case of Two Sisters
I have two daughters. When I began writing the manuscript that became WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS, my debut, they were four and three years old. Now, there are very few instances of sisters on either side of my family. Lots of brothers and brother/sister combinations, but sisters…? Not so much.
Looking back, I think I was terrified of creating this hideous life-long rivalry between my daughters. My subconscious, it seems, felt like playing out the worst possible scenario: What if two sisters grew up and couldn’t stand one another? (If a writer ever says that her work isn’t a grandiose attempt to work through personal issues, don’t believe to her!)
Most romances I’d ever read that featured sisters were, well…sweet. Sure the women had spats or disagreements, but I could think of few instances where grown-up sisters actually disliked one another. Again, in the mind-set of playing out worst case scenarios, I created with Meg and Ada.
Meg contracted meningitis at age six and went blind. Motherless, and with their father driven mad by his attempt to restore his daughter’s sight, Meg and Ada were left alone. They had only each other…and the weight of their village’s suspicions. Meg’s passion for alchemy and Ada’s adept knowledge of foreign languages started the locals whispering about witchcraft. While Meg doesn’t mind their isolated existence, Ada slowly builds a deep, overwhelming resentment for her sister’s condition.
Let’s just say that things don’t go so well for them as they mature. Rivalry, jealousy, betrayal–it’s all in the mix. And when Meg finally finds happiness with Will Scarlet in WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS, Ada takes it as a personal insult…after all, Will was the man who arrested her! Family get-togethers were never going to be pleasant with these two.
So what happens? Well, Ada finally gets out of their tiny village and actually makes it to the Kingdom of Castile (in modern-day Spain). Because she’s the heroine of her own adventure, SCOUNDREL’S KISS, she finds love too. But as for what these two stubborn, fierce, deeply vulnerable women make of their relationship…that you’ll have to read for yourself.
Three years on from creating Meg and Ada, my journey through worst-case scenarios has been a satisfying one. No matter how at odds Meg and Ada became, they were still bound by a love neither could deny forever. They’re still family. And if these two hellions managed find a little charity for one another, my own girls are going to do just fine.
What about you? Do you prefer your siblings peaceable or challenging? Any favorite sisterly pairs from romance that you can recommend?
14 Responses to “Guest blogger Carrie Lofty”
I grew up in a large family that included four girls – myself included. (Never mind my brothers. That’s a whole different can of worms.) There was no way growing up with three sisters was going to be peaceful. We all had our diffeences when we were kids but now that we’re adults, we get along well … for the most part.
I suppose my favorite series involving sisters is Christine Feehan’s Drake Sister. They’re all very different but when it comes down to it … they’ll be there when you need them.
Thanx for joining us here at MM, Carrie. Terrific blog.
Carrie, I love the way you worked through your fears
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My sister and I fought for years while we shared a room. I’m tidy, she’s . . . not. It was not pretty. But now we’re all grown up and not sharing a room I can’t think of a family member I’m closer to. So there you go.
Thanks for joining us here today at MM.
Hi Carrie,
I grew up with 6 siblings. 1 brother and 5 sisters. Some of us clicked, others did not. Rivalry, fisticuffs, practical jokes, jealousy and name calling were just part of our every day lives. But underneath it all there was and is a love and a bond that surpasses all the negativity.
I’d prefer reading about sisters who are competitive because to me, it seems more real. But I also want those sisters to come together when it’s important.
No “sister” books come to mind just now but I’ll let you know if I think of any.
Hi ladies,
Thanks for having me here today. My daughters are currently bickering over the keyboard, so this topic is perfectly up-to-the-minute! Keep the sisterly book suggestions coming. I’m always looking for new and inventive ways to topple my TBR pile
I think your ladies sound great!
And a little rivalry can be a good thing, right? Congrats on your new release!
Carrie, I love reading about those complicated family relationships! I loved Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah, but it was about two friends. I haven’t read a sister related one in quite a awhile, so I’m blank on that one.
Great having you at Magical today!
I’m excited because I’m the first to say LITTLE WOMEN. One of my fav books of all time, and a big part of it was the sisters’ relationship (although they weren’t pairs). Just thinking about the book, I want to read it again. Another one is PRIDE & PREJUDICE. Elizabeth and Jane’s relationship drive the story. And there are Jane and Elizabeth’s sillier younger sisters.
You can tell I love sister books! I’m looking forward to reading Scoundrel’s Kiss!
I didn’t have a sister growing up. And I always dreamed of what it would be like to have that close bond. However, I know that close bonds don’t just happen. And in fiction I too love to bring out the issues that can pop up in families.
It’s funny that when I stop and think about it, none of my heroines have sisters. Hmm… I guess we really do write what we know.
CC
Now why didn’t I think of P&P or Little Women? Both classics and both favorites.
I just realized my WIP has a sister relationship! Nothing like mine, thank God. The one in my book is tough. I’m mean to my characters.
Although I didn’t have a sister (3 brothers) my WIP has two sisters and their relationship is the crux of the plot. I like stories about sisters. I have many favorites, Gone with the Wind is one. Brazen Virtue by Nora Roberts is another. I love Jayne Ann Krentz because of her family relationships. And I always liked the movie Practical Magic for the strong sister tie.
I know me and my sister HATED each other in high school. She was actively cruel to me sometimes, and yet when someone messed with me she took their head off. Even during the most tense moments of our relationship with each other I knew at the end of the day she would have my back.
And now we’re both older and more mellow and she’s really my best friend in the whole world. So there’s definitely hope for Ada and Meg, I’m sure.
I can’t really think of any pairs of siblings that actively hated each other in straight romance… hmm.
I know Amy in Welcome to Temptation is a little witch who sets my teeth on edge, but she doesn’t hate her sister, she’s just super selfish. I think tense familial relations in Romance tend to be more between mothers and daughters than sisters.
Carrie, I really enjoyed reading how your family affected the way you plotted your books.
As the mother of two daughters and one son, I watched the girls battle it out at the dinner table. They absolutely could NOT go out the door on the way to school without a tiff that rattled the house.
Then they got married and had kids–and became each other’s advisor. Maybe I should put some of that in a book too. Thanks!
I love Georgia Nicolson and her little sister Libby from the Angus Thongs teen series. They are both hell on wheels, which is perhaps why they “lobe” each other so much.