Writing The Bracelet

Hi! I'm in Pennsylvania. It's great to be here. I thought I'd start out with a little about my August book, The Bracelet...what it meant to me to write it...and why it's the book of my heart. I want all of you to feel free to ask questions and talk about whatever you'd like. If you've read The Bracelet, I'd love to hear what you think of it.

The idea for this book began long ago...when the 60's impacted me...when I wrote to a serviceman in Vietnam...and shortly after when I fell in love with my husband. Although it's fiction, it's set in my hometown of York, PA and has more of "me" in it than any book I've written. It's my 59th. I know--what took me so long? Maybe just the passing of time and the ability to see life more clearly than I did when I was younger.

I attended college in the late sixties and early seventies and I was part of the moratorium day for peace that swept the country, especially on college campuses. In 1969 my husband and I faced the draft lottery. I still remember my anxiety about it and his and how we had to wait to see what happened to figure out when we could marry.

The plotline of this book unfolded so naturally that at times the depth of it and the memories that rushed back were overwhelming. My childhood neighborhood is my heroine's childhood neighborhood. Brady's childhood neighborhood is where some of my friends lived. Each landmark I named--like the hospital, the library and the Yorktowne hotel--had personal significance for me. That's why I included pictures of them on my website.

I wrote The Bracelet as a single title. It's a family story as well as a love story. It's about my hero and his adopted son as much as about his 33 year marriage. (I've been married 36 years.) Everything about this book hits me at an emotional place. I'd like to talk to you about all of that and whatever else that comes up. Pop in and out whenever you'd like. I'll be in and out often!

Karen