Family Ties Family Lies was the winner in the WOMEN’S FICTION category of the 2024 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Jacqueline Boulden.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
My book is title Family Ties Family Lies, published by Pine Place Press, January 2024
What’s the book’s first line?
“She should have said no.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Family Ties Family Lies is about a woman who returns to her small hometown in upstate New York to care for her ailing mother. While poking around the attic of her childhood home, she finds a web of secrets left behind by her late father, changing everything she thought she knew about family.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I was entertaining some ideas for my second novel when someone made an offhand comment, which I cannot tell because it would be a major spoiler. But based on this comment, I began doing what writers often do, asking myself, “What if?” over and over gain until I realized I had the general concept for a book that is part women’s fiction and part mystery.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Rose is a photojournalist and has recently been injured during a protest. Her right arm is in a cast. Her ribs are bruised. Her shoulder is a mess. She can’t work. She can barely lift a cup of coffee some days. But she’s determined to help her mother whose health issues go from bad to worse. Rose is used to digging for information, so when she uncovers a photo in a book of her late father’s, she wants to know who the people are. She sets off to learn the truth, despite her family asking her to leave it alone. So I would say her most distinctive attribute is determination.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
People who enjoy stories involving family relationships and mysteries would most enjoy this book, and might learn more about how our parents shape who we are, who we become in life.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I’ve always wanted to write a novel but it took me a few years! I was a TV news reporter for my first career and a video producer for my second career. Writing full-time is my third career. I published my debut novel at the age of sixty-nine. This is my second novel. My first novel, Her Past Can’t Wait, has also won awards, including an IPPY Gold Award for Best Regional Fiction – Mid-Atlantic. (It’s set in Philadelphia where I lived for more than thirty years before moving to my native upstate New York.)
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
Some of the best reasons for being an indie author/publisher is I have more control over my book cover and other aspects of my work. I hire an experienced book cover designer, developmental editors, proofreaders, and others to make sure my indie novel can sit on the shelf with traditionally published novels. The most difficult part of being an indie author is marketing.I market primarily through Amazon and Facebook. I enjoy attending conferences and book festivals where I can interact with readers.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
What motivates me is telling stories that resonate with readers. Her Past Can’t Wait is a novel about women healing from sexual abuse through a psychotherapy called EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR is a real and widely accepted treatment for PTSD. I wanted to show how an EMDR therapist can help someone heal from past trauma. Family Ties Family Lies deals with different issues, but it still taps into how our past shapes our present and often determines our future.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
When I’m actively working on a novel, I wrote most days. Currently, I am outlining my next novel, a sequel to Family Ties Family Lies. That’s coming in fits and spurts. I hadn’t planned on writing a series, but my main character, Rose, told me she has more to say. So I’m outlining with a lot of room for spontaneity, because sometimes the best parts of a novel are the ones even the author didn’t expect.