A New Day -- Jen Doktorski

Sunrise over Seaside Park, NJ, 2017

 

My new book, AUGUST & EVERYTHING AFTER, is all about fresh starts and new days. Both the main character and her love interest have suffered horrible losses and turn to each other – and the power of music – to heal and move forward.

I saw the almost-finished cover for AUGUST a few weeks ago and was hoping to share it with this post, but it’s not quite ready for its close up yet. Instead, I thought I’d share a scene that speaks to this month’s topic perfectly. In it, Quinn Gallo, the 18-year-old MC, has reached a major obstacle on her road to recovery. It’s sometime after midnight on the deserted Asbury Park beach and Quinn is sitting in the sand, staring at the ocean, with her Aunt Annie or “Auntsie” – Quinn’s toddler nickname for her that stuck.

     “What am I supposed to do now?” I ask.

     Auntsie stands, brushes off the sand, and gazes down the beach.

     “You know what I love about the ocean?”

     “You? Love the ocean?”

     “Of course I love the ocean. Would I have spent my whole life three blocks from it if I didn’t? It’s the sun I don’t like.”

     Auntsie huffs and takes a deep breath.

     “Sorry. Go on,” I say.

     I think maybe I spoiled her moment, but she recovers.

     “The ocean changes every day. Tomorrow morning you can walk out here and the surf will look totally different. Sometimes the waves are soft and rolling, other times they’re fierce and unforgiving. The winds and the tides are forever reforming and reshaping the landscape. We hear that saying all the time, ‘Every day is a new day.’ But with the ocean, you can see it. It has a way of making you believe the slate really has been wiped clean.”

     I hope to be sharing more of this book with you soon! (Right now the pub date is May 1, 2018). More than a few of the amazing authors here at YAOTL gave this novel early reads and their valuable input made a huge difference in my writing process and the product. (Thank you Jody, Patty, Lauren, Kim, and Margie. Mwah!)

     And because music plays such a huge role in this novel, I thought I'd close this with a song. This is Brand New, by Ben Rector.