We all leave a little of ourselves on the page and today Taryn Elliott shares with us how a particular time of her life was a catalyst for her latest novel.
Writing Through the Pain
ASHES AND WINE has a very difficult subject matter to overcome. One that I 
know some people can and will shy away from. Even my best friend told me that if it hadn’t been my work, she would have avoided the book. I think that’s pretty telling. Those harsh emotions that make up a good story are the same kind of emotions that people don’t want to face, even in fiction. I lived through something pretty similar to what Royal Andreas does in ASHES AND WINE.
And I used some of that personal knowledge to build on the pain and frustration of watching someone close to you die. I took it a step further and added a father/son dynamic that added another level of discomfort. How do you fight for your independence, your individuality, and still live with your all-encompassing need to take care of your family at the same time? If that’s not hard enough, let’s throw falling in love into the muddy mix of emotions.
This story is about falling in love, but it’s also about finding the strength to come to terms with taking what you need. Royal Andreas has become the head of the family far quicker than was planned thanks to his father’s cancer. He’s suited to the role of caretaker and takes the mantle of responsibility far easier than he takes falling in love with Tessa Winter.
He’s so worried about his family and the Andreas Winery that he puts aside all of his own needs. Once a month he travels out to Tessa Winter’s bookstore, As You Wish, to host a wine tasting. The business angle takes care of his responsibilities to his family, but he really uses the visit to get his Tessa fix.
They’d met at his winery and enjoyed a bottle of wine and a flirtation that spoke of much more than a business arrangement. The problem? Royal met his dream woman just a few days before his father found out he was sick. His sense of responsibility to his family shored up walls against falling in love with Tessa. He doesn’t want to bring her into his situation, doesn’t want to burden her with a man with that much baggage.
But for years he’s seen her once a month and wondered what it would be like to let her in. And Tessa has wondered why the Royal she met that summer day three years ago has become so different and so reserved. With each visit her own feelings have grown though he makes sure to keep things strictly business between them. But there’s a part of him that wants to reach out to her and they use new wines and a mutual passion for them to keep that uncomfortable stasis of half-interest between them.
Until one night—come on, you know there has to be a catalyst—the one night that he can’t walk away. That he can’t force himself to walk out the door and go home to his empty house and take up that mantle of responsibility again. And it comes about because of that caretaker part of him. What man doesn’t want to rescue the damsel in distress?
She’s in a bind for a musician and Royal’s only passion besides the winery is his guitar. Things at home are coming to a head and every part of him should just walk away, but he can’t walk away from her again. Beat down with years of loneliness of his own making, he puts himself out there and another brick in the wall crumbles. What comes next is everything he could have asked for. And everything he’s been denying himself.
In the midst of it all, he has to find the strength and the bravery to accept this woman and a love that he deserves—that they both deserve. And realize that there’s a woman out there that is even stronger than he imagined. Strong enough to accept him and love him and teach him that there’s room for one more person in his heart.
Cancer might have been the basis for the story, but two people finding love is the part I want you to take away with you. And writing through the pain and the loss of my own mother and father to cancer gave me this wonderful story to share. And the amazing love between my parents gave me the foundation to create a fitting tribute to them with Tessa and Royal in ASHES AND WINE.
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What do you leave on the page?
C. Hope Clark is with us on Friday to talk about Love and the Mystery Writer.
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Before Tessa met Royal Andreas, her bookstore was on the verge of sinking. And before Tessa met Royal Andreas, she didn’t mind being single. But Royal brings in business with monthly wine tastings featuring his family’s signature vintages–and brings Tessa’s heart to a standstill with intense gray eyes that look on her with nothing but cool indifference.
Yet one searing kiss between the stacks gives Tessa a glimpse of the passion smoldering beneath–and a secret pain further revealed when Royal fills in as the musician at a tasting event. Every note of Spanish guitar tells a story of family tragedy, loss, and ongoing suffering that’s made Royal afraid to lean on anyone…even if he needs Tessa’s sweet flavor more than the richest wine. Only her strength can save him when his world crumbles to ashes. But has Royal learned trust too late to claim Tessa as his own?
Bio:
You can find Taryn on her website, Facebook, Twitter and her awesome Tumblr!
http://www.tarynelliott.com/
https://twitter.com/TarynElliottFic
https://www.facebook.com/TarynElliottAuthor
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Morning Taryn…
It sounds like a heart-rending book, just the kind I like to read with a stack of kleenex beside the bed. =) Best of luck with your book! =)
carrie
Posted by Carrie Spencer | September 26, 2012, 9:02 amLOL
You might need a few tissues, but there’s a lot of laughter too. It really does heal. =)
Thanks so much for dropping a comment and the luck.
Posted by Taryn Elliott | September 26, 2012, 10:53 amAshes and Wine is beautifully written. It brought tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart. It gave me hope that even at the end of a bitter disease the family was strong and love did prevail. In my family we are currently battling cancer, so to say this book has touch my heart is beyond words. Thank you for writing through your pain. It means so much.
Posted by Dena de Paulo | September 26, 2012, 9:39 amOh Dena…I’m so sorry you have to go through this. I know how hard it is. I wish you didn’t, but hold onto your family and make every day count. That’s what I did and continue to do.
I’m just glad my story could give you a little happiness.
Posted by Taryn Elliott | September 26, 2012, 10:52 amHi Taryn,
Love does conquer all. Good luck with Ashes and Wine.
Mary Jo
Posted by Mary Jo Burke | September 26, 2012, 9:51 amThanks so much, Mary Jo. Love really does get us through.
Posted by Taryn Elliott | September 26, 2012, 10:53 amI have to be in the right mood to read books that I suspect will take an emotional toll on me, but most of those books end up on my keeper shelf. Was it hard for you living in that world while you were writing the book, or was it a healing process for you?
Posted by Becke Davis (Becke Martin) | September 26, 2012, 12:11 pmIt was very cathartic actually. I didn’t intend on writing that book, but evidently it was time for it to come out. I wrote it in such a rush, I didn’t have time to think about things.
I think the edits were the most challenging. That kind of book is really close to a writer’s heart. And hammering out the details with my editor took a toll on me. In the end his help really made the book stronger.
Posted by Taryn Elliott | September 26, 2012, 1:08 pmBeautiful post, Taryn. I have just nipped over to Amazon and downloaded.
I love a book that can make me both laugh and cry. One that I feel connected to emotionally. Yours sounds like a keeper.
Hayson
Posted by Hayson Manning | September 26, 2012, 12:50 pmWow. Thanks so much, Hayson. The family dynamic really is the core of the book. The good, the bad, and the ugly parts make for a stronger story. But in the end, laughter is what heals.
Posted by Taryn Elliott | September 26, 2012, 1:10 pmI’m really looking forward to this story – downloaded it on Monday. Hoping to dive into it tonight.
Posted by Rita Oberlies | September 26, 2012, 1:02 pmThanks, Rita. =) I hope you like my winery and bookstore. I’ve got a lot more fun at the winery coming up.
Posted by Taryn Elliott | September 26, 2012, 1:11 pmI am also going through a similar situation in my family, and I very much enjoyed Ashes and Wine. I’m glad you were able use your experience to create such a wonderful story for the rest of us.
Posted by Ally Broadfield | September 26, 2012, 1:20 pmThanks, Ally. I’m sorry you know, first hand, what I went through. But sometimes it’s nice to know we’re not alone. Hold your family close. It’s the only thing that gets us through. Oh and making sure you find something to make you laugh. Even when you don’t feel like laughing.
Posted by Taryn Elliott | September 26, 2012, 1:44 pmHi Taryn!
Thanks for being with us today.
I think a part of us always finds its way onto the page, and I can understand how cathartic it was for you to share your experience.
I read Beverly Cleary books as a kid. Then I read her biography two years ago and discovered that she and her characters had a lot in common. I think that’s what made her characters so real.
Posted by Jennifer Tanner | September 26, 2012, 3:07 pmAgreed. Our experiences shape us as writers that’s for sure. I loved Beverly Cleary too. And the twisted mind of Christopher Pike helped shape my formative years with a side of Sweet Valley High. LOL
Thanks so much for having me here today.
Posted by Taryn Elliott | September 26, 2012, 3:41 pmMarvelous title! And it sounds like a book that will grab you and not let go. I’m adding it to my TBR list!
Posted by Willa Blair | September 26, 2012, 3:13 pmThanks, Willa! I sure hope so. =)
Posted by Taryn Elliott | September 26, 2012, 3:41 pmI’m reading your book now, and it’s a stunner. Thanks for sharing with us. Aside from the intense emotion of the story, I’m really impressed by all the research you must have done on wine and wineries. I’m also looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
Posted by Nona Raines | September 26, 2012, 4:24 pmThanks for stopping by, Nona. I appreciate it. Me and google are having a romance. LOL I’ve learned so much about wine and still need to learn a lot more.
Posted by Taryn Elliott | September 26, 2012, 5:37 pmI just wanted to thank RU for having me today and for all the lovely and thoughtful replies today. Ashes and Wine was a labor of love and I’m glad it’s been well received.
If it’s touched you even a little bit, then I did my job. =)
If you’d like to keep in touch you can find me here: http://about.me/tarynelliott
Posted by Taryn Elliott | September 26, 2012, 7:35 pmI loved Ashes and Wine. I’m sorry it comes from a place of pain for you, Taryn, but you made something beautiful out of it, just as Royal and Tessa do.
Posted by Lisa Connelly | September 27, 2012, 5:42 amThanks, Lisa. I really appreciate that.
Posted by Taryn Elliott | September 27, 2012, 9:36 am