Patchwork of Me by Gregory G. Allen
Published: April 15, 2012 by ASD Publishing
A product of the foster care system, Sara Butler spends her early thirties hiding from her past while striving for a normal life with her small group of quirky friends in Arizona. Seeking treatment for an invisible rash and abnormal dreams, her therapist helps her unlock a heinous past that she is unsure she wants to open. To patch her life back together, she realizes she must travel across country to Maine to confront that past in order to plan for a future.
Published: April 15, 2012 by ASD Publishing
A product of the foster care system, Sara Butler spends her early thirties hiding from her past while striving for a normal life with her small group of quirky friends in Arizona. Seeking treatment for an invisible rash and abnormal dreams, her therapist helps her unlock a heinous past that she is unsure she wants to open. To patch her life back together, she realizes she must travel across country to Maine to confront that past in order to plan for a future.
A Man in a Woman's World
Guest Post by Gregory G. Allen
Fiction is fiction, correct? But what if you are writing
women’s fiction … and you are a man? As a writer I believe we should be able to
inhabit many different worlds. We create these universes where our characters
live and we dwell there for months while we write. I loved the world that I
created for Sara Butler in “Patchwork of Me”. The relationship between her and
her male gay friends was one that several women can relate to. So many people
want to be “Will & Grace” and have that person you can turn to and let down
those walls without fear of sexual tension. In this case…it is something Sara
has to work very hard to accomplish.
I actually enjoyed getting in touch with my feminine side
while writing this story. Fears. Wants. Desires. Some can be universal, but
others are shaped by who we are as people. In the case of Sara, they are
dictated by her past experiences. Growing up in the foster care system. Never
knowing her true parents or remembering them. Creating a safe haven for herself
by her early thirties because she never truly believed she could connect to
anyone. Bad relationships. Even worse choices when it comes to sexual partners.
And not truly capable of letting down her guard with her friends – those that
she learns to be family.
I never write in one specific genre, but I would say this story deals with some mystery elements (though not a mystery) – but really it deals with growth. How a person ‘comes into their own’ even later in life. What holds us back and keeps us from fully committing to others. We bring so much of our past into any relationship we embark on and Sara does that with each of her friends. Never believing she should count on anyone because she’s been used to caring for herself for much of her life. And listening to the nagging voice of doubt that each of us have, but usually can shut it down. Sara has a tough time turning that voice off and must learn to control it.
I wanted to share a story where a woman could show several layers, but really feel empowered to stand on her own without the aid of ‘a man’. Like Dorothy traveling through Oz, Sara meets different people on her road trip to self discovery that gives her glimpses into other lives and in turn…can view herself in a different way.
The challenge was in the fact that I prefer to write in first person when penning a novel. I enjoy the closeness you have with a character when you know their feelings, thoughts – and see the world through their eyes. So I had to become Sara and I’m pleased that many female reviewers have applauded me for this. One of the best compliments was a female reader who said they completely forgot a man had written it.
I suppose that means I get some sort of day pass in that world…and I’m ‘all good’ about that!
I never write in one specific genre, but I would say this story deals with some mystery elements (though not a mystery) – but really it deals with growth. How a person ‘comes into their own’ even later in life. What holds us back and keeps us from fully committing to others. We bring so much of our past into any relationship we embark on and Sara does that with each of her friends. Never believing she should count on anyone because she’s been used to caring for herself for much of her life. And listening to the nagging voice of doubt that each of us have, but usually can shut it down. Sara has a tough time turning that voice off and must learn to control it.
I wanted to share a story where a woman could show several layers, but really feel empowered to stand on her own without the aid of ‘a man’. Like Dorothy traveling through Oz, Sara meets different people on her road trip to self discovery that gives her glimpses into other lives and in turn…can view herself in a different way.
The challenge was in the fact that I prefer to write in first person when penning a novel. I enjoy the closeness you have with a character when you know their feelings, thoughts – and see the world through their eyes. So I had to become Sara and I’m pleased that many female reviewers have applauded me for this. One of the best compliments was a female reader who said they completely forgot a man had written it.
I suppose that means I get some sort of day pass in that world…and I’m ‘all good’ about that!
About the author:
Gregory G. Allen is the author of PATCHWORK OF ME, WELL WITH MY SOUL, PROUD PANTS: AN UNCONVENTIONAL MEMOIR, and CHICKEN BOY: THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF A SUPER HERO WITH AUTISM. He has had short stories and poetry published in: New Town Writers' anthology Off The Rocks 14, Loch Raven Review, Muscadine Lines: A Southern Journal, The Oddville Press, Word Catalyst Magazine, Rancor'd Type, Home & Holidays and is a contributor of articles and blogs to several online sites. Allen has been in the entertainment business for over twenty years as an actor, director, writer, and producer and is an award-winning musical theater writer with over ten original musicals produced. Allen currently manages an arts center on the campus of a college in northern New Jersey.
Find out more about Gregory G. Allen.
Gregory G. Allen is the author of PATCHWORK OF ME, WELL WITH MY SOUL, PROUD PANTS: AN UNCONVENTIONAL MEMOIR, and CHICKEN BOY: THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF A SUPER HERO WITH AUTISM. He has had short stories and poetry published in: New Town Writers' anthology Off The Rocks 14, Loch Raven Review, Muscadine Lines: A Southern Journal, The Oddville Press, Word Catalyst Magazine, Rancor'd Type, Home & Holidays and is a contributor of articles and blogs to several online sites. Allen has been in the entertainment business for over twenty years as an actor, director, writer, and producer and is an award-winning musical theater writer with over ten original musicals produced. Allen currently manages an arts center on the campus of a college in northern New Jersey.
Find out more about Gregory G. Allen.
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