A. Perhaps some, but I know what I’m made of, and though I’ve wanted to be many things in this life, there hasn’t been anything more compelling than being a wife and mother.
Q. Many writers of literary fiction claim they know their novel has come to an end when their protagonist “lands” on safe ground, when she has found herself enough to come to terms with her crisis. Does Mary get there?
A. Mary cherished the safety of “the devil she knew,” so for her, in order to “land,” she needed to see that she could let go, that she could embrace a future in which things might be unpredictable, a future she might not be able to contrive through negotiation and bargaining. Once she reaches that spot, where she has opened up to the possibility that Sally might know the truth, that Landon might someday be a part of Sally’s life, that the marriage she and Tom share might be made of something other than the stuff of their first decade together, she’s able to grow.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I AM DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO Amazon Publishing, and senior editor Terry Goodman, in particular. Amazon Publishing has been my constant champion, promoting my debut novel, Daughters for a Time, and because of their efforts, an unimaginable number of readers have had the opportunity to spend time with my book. Without hesitation, I was delighted to turn over Acts of Contrition to Amazon Publishing as well.
I am mostly thankful to my husband, Kevin. When I first started writing, I had the feeling that I should be doing it in my spare time—after everything else was taken care of. I viewed writing as a luxury. Kevin never looked at it that way. He is of the opinion that I am a writer. He believes I should be writing—every day—no questions asked. His support and enthusiasm for my career is a measure of his love for me. I hope he knows that I think he is awesome, too.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © MARTY SHOUP, 2014
A NATIVE OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA, Jennifer Handford now lives in the Washington, DC, area with her husband and three children. One of three first-place finalists in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest in 2010, she published her first novel, Daughters for a Time, in 2012. People magazine hailed it as “a wrenching, resonant debut about infertility, cancer and adoption. Grab your hankies.”
Jennifer is a professor of writing at American University.
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