I was brainstorming new fiction ideas today, and I was thinking about what makes people feel drawn to a story. Obviously, there are many things that pull you in to a book: a great, memorable character, a gripping plotline, a strong hook, standout writing.
But I decided that there’s something I had been overlooking, and it’s something that GUIDEPOSTS does particularly well: I realized that best stories touch you on an emotional level. There are books that I enjoy reading, that I like, and that I know are good; in my head, I know these are good books. But the books that I love the best are the stories where I react with my heart and not my head.
The Home to Heather Creek series does this remarkably well. From the first page you’re drawn in by the characters’ pain. The children have just lost a mother; Charlotte has just lost a daughter. Who of us doesn’t mourn hearing that? We feel for them, and we’re drawn in by our compassion and our need to make sure things turn out alright for these characters. I think this emotional connection with the characters is the reason this series has been so successful.
Can you think of other books that you’ve loved because they’ve touched your heart?
Beth Adams is the creator and editor of GUIDEPOSTS’ Home to Heather Creek fiction series.
