About the Book
The Story Behind Promises of the Heart
IT HAS BEEN a long-standing tradition for my family to vacation on Cape Cod. It’s part of the reason I set several of my books there. It’s also a tradition for us to try to take in at least one Cape Cod League baseball game. That’s how it came to pass, one balmy night five years ago, that we were all standing on the hill overlooking the Orleans Firebirds field when a young girl—she must’ve been between ten and twelve years old—spied our black Lab, Finnegan, and came over to say hello. The girl cheerfully greeted Finn and then told us her parents had gotten her a dog to help her through her recent heart transplant surgery. As she continued to scratch Finn’s ears, she shared her love of dogs and told us how much her dog had helped her. Her story was so moving that, when she walked away, my son Noah said, “Mom, you have to write about her!” I had to agree—it was an amazing story, but it was a year before I had the opportunity to draw on that encounter.
I usually know the direction a story will take, but I never know exactly what a character will do or say on any given day. It isn’t until I type the characters’ names that they perk up and start to lead the way. When I first typed Harper’s name, she instantly came to life, and every time I started a chapter with her name, she stepped right up to the plate—as any good character will do—and asked Cora for a big-ass coffee, or started pulling off her bandages, or made an unladylike gesture to Connor, or pulled Keeper into a fierce hug. Harper’s character was inspired by a chance encounter with a young girl who loved dogs and needed a new heart, but she went on to become so much more.
In talking about the process and decisions that went into writing Promises of the Heart, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention what was happening at the time. I began to write this story soon after I’d left my agent of eight years and the publisher of my first seven novels. I had the support and wise guidance of a wonderful new agent, but still it was a leap of faith. For the first time in years, I was writing without a contract, and the more time passed, the more I worried and second-guessed my decision. My new agent counseled me to depart from familiar characters and favorite settings and write something new. After silencing my internal protests, I set the story in Savannah, Georgia—and then announced to my husband that I’d have to go there for “research”!
When I write, I try to create a story that readers will be able to relate to. I touch on real issues, obstacles, and heartaches that everyone faces at some point, and I always try to weave in a thread of faith. When I started writing Promises of the Heart, the first name I typed was Macey, and before I knew it, my strong-willed protagonist was struggling with her fifth miscarriage. While she didn’t seem open to adoption, the influence of her late grandmother made anything seem possible. When I typed Ben’s name, Macey’s overly cautious, hard-working husband came to life and pulled her into a long hug. The stage was set: I had characters with stories to tell, and even though I didn’t know where they or their individual plights had come from, as soon as I typed their names, they knew.
To make a book—even a work of fiction—truly believable and authentic, there is always some amount of research involved. To verify the details for this book, I researched pediatric heart conditions and their causes. I also met with a pediatrician, a longtime friend who cared for my boys when they were young. Over coffee, we talked about the symptoms Harper would have and what her recovery would be like. While on a road trip with my younger son, Noah, I stopped in Savannah, where we checked out the hot spots mentioned in the book—Goose Feathers Café (where Macey and Maeve have breakfast), Doc’s Bar (site of the impromptu class reunion), Tybee Island Light Station (where Ben and Henry go running), and Tybee Pier (where Ben proposed). We also checked out the Crab Shack and Wet Willie’s—destinations I’m saving for a future book!
When I’m asked to speak about being an author and about all the trials and triumphs I’ve experienced, I often mention my faith and the role it plays. I am a believer in prayer, patience, and perseverance. I also believe in God’s perfect timing, and even though I frequently questioned how long it was taking to find a new publisher, the stars did finally align!
I may never know if that young girl vacationing on Cape Cod—who is now probably in her late teens—will ever discover that she inspired a book, but I hope that a stroke of serendipity will allow me to thank her one day for the gift she gave me and all of my readers. 