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A Castle for Christmas: A Fun Look into Movies with Writer Characters and The Netflix Christmas Movie

Posted on December 7, 2021 Written by Pinar Tarhan

A Castle for Christmas movie poster — Image via Netflix.com.

A Castle for Christmas is the latest Netflix Christmas movie released in late November so that us, Christmas romcom lovers can get their fix early on.

So let’s get started…

A Castle for Christmas starring Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes: Plot Summary (no spoilers, yet

Brooke Shields plays Sophie McGuinty (Sophie Brown after marriage), a rich, successful, bestselling author. She has forged a successful career through her series of romance books featuring Emma Gale and her love interest Winston.

The problem? Sophie commits a cardinal sin in the eyes of her fans: She kills Winston in her latest book. The fallout, as well as the upcoming marriage of her now ex-husband (whose actions did certainly inspire the killing of Winston), gives her a wonderful idea: Go to the Scotland village where her father worked and write there.

In Scotland, she immediately makes friends and happy fans who couldn’t care less she killed off Winston. She even has the almost-fell-but-saved-by-a-stranger meet cute with the handsome local and laborer Myles (Cary Elwes).

When she wants to tour the village castle where her dad spent part of his childhood, Myles offers her a private tour. But their instant attraction turns sour when Sophie sneaks around to do her own thing.

From then on, Myles is Grumpy McGrumperson, acting like he hates everything single Sophie does. It gets worse when Sophie finds out Myles is actually the duke who owns the castle.

To add insult to Myles’ injured pride, he is losing the castle to financial troubles, Sophie is his one willing buyer.

Realizing it is either the banks or Sophie, he offers a tricky deal where Sophie can invest a deposit and abide by Myles’s rules to stay in the castle and learn how to run it for a certain amount of time. Of course, the plan is to make her suffer so that she will run, losing the sizeable deposit.

Obviously, Sophie is tougher than he realized, and it doesn’t help that she is pretty, lovely and everyone loves her.

So it is the will of battles while these two try to fend off their attraction.

You really don’t need me to tell you the end. 🙂

Is it fun? Is it full of cliches? Is it pretty to look at?

Yes. Yes. And yes.

Are you looking for originality? Run.

Surprises? Go away.

Can’t stand cliches? Why are you watching a Christmas-themed romcom? What’s wrong with you?

Those who have a soft spot for Christmas, Scotland, Cary Elwes, and Brooke Shields, and the guaranteed romcom ending? You can stay. This movie is for you.

I had a blast. In addition to the soft spots I mentioned above, the movie has another major draw for me:

A writer as a protagonist.

So, for all the writers among us, let’s look at that film through that lens. And yes, let there be spoilers.

Movies with Writer Characters: A Castle for Christmas

Lessons and tips on marketing, writing, inspiration, dealing with negative reviews, and beyond

Fantasy fulfillment: Successful writer with a large backlist

My favorite part of the movie is how it fulfills my fantasies, and I’m not even talking about the duke. Yet.

I immediately empathize with and root for Brooke Shields’ character Sophie. She has lived a charmed life – having gotten a lucrative traditional publishing deal for a big series.

Being a bestseller is a dream for many of us, even if in the end we’ll just use it as an enabler of bill-paying and writing whatever we want.

In that regard, she is where we want to be in our careers.

Replace romance with the genre you write, and the traditional publishing deal with the path you prefer.

She is a romance author. Hello! Romcom drama author here. The romantic storylines are the hearts of my story. (Apologies for the necessary pun.)

She lives in a big house, has a loving and supportive daughter, and most importantly, as we will later find out, she can afford to go to Scotland on a whim and buy a castle. Financial (fantasy) goals right there.

I might not be in the market for Scotland castles, but I sure as hell want to be able to travel and buy houses when and where I like.

And instead of a daughter, I’ll take many loving and super supportive friends (which she will get pretty soon).

Her agent, despite being pushy, is also pretty sweet and capable. (Repeat after me: She has an agent who believes in her! I mean…)

So basically, right out of the gate, this movie was made for me. I was in love. Love at first protagonist reveal if you will.

And who cares about a little thing called divorce if you are going to give me a Cary Elwes later? (Is it just me, or is he the prettiest and youngest-looking 59-year-old man you’ve ever seen? Do ignore his weird smile on the poster, though.)

So of course, she has a major career-related problem too:

She has killed off a beloved character, and her readers want her head on a stick. Big f—ing whoop. (I mean…it would be nice not to have fans protesting outside The Drew Barrymore Show studio, but the silver lining is that she’s getting booked on The Drew Barrymore Show. People know who she is!!!)

Rejection and negative reviews are par for the course. But one reader’s thrash is another’s treasure. And vice versa.

She has/had readers! She can write tens of books. She can afford a castle. She can afford a big apartment. She can handle this crisis.

And she handles it beautifully (and yes, pretty luckily.)

Not all readers are the same. Great marketing lesson right there. She has fans who still love her and are actually glad Winston is gone. (I’m sure she even has fans who are sick of her main character and want stories with new characters.)

Get social. You will be inspired.

Doing different things gives us ideas. She knows what she wants to write about after a day out in the town with the duke, inspired by a lore. Different country, different people, different activities.

Exercise and fresh air motivate you and make you stronger.

OK, this is my least favorite takeaway and the least obvious one, but she does go about cycling and spends time outdoors a lot. I’m guessing that has helped her put up with the horrid accommodation conditions the duke made her put up with. I’d have gotten the flu the first week, and then after I recovered, I’d be finding legal and satisfactory ways to kick his royal and grumpy ass.

But then I don’t exercise enough, so I shall, begrudgingly, learn this lesson.

Be nice to fans, and be open to marketing ideas.

She is really great with the first one. She even takes over the castle tour and people love it. Duke’s right hand even suggests putting her books in the gift shop, and she says she wouldn’t go that far…

But she is at a stage in her career where she doesn’t need to do it. In real life, if you have a chance to do classy online marketing, take it. And if I am an author giving castle tours and people are loving me for it, you’d bet I’d give them the opportunity to buy books on site.

It’s okay to take a break. It’s okay to recharge. But don’t give up.

This is the most obvious lesson, but it is there and it’s super helpful.

A Castle for Christmas as a Christmas Romcom

Yes, it is cheesy. And sometimes, instead of falling for the duke yourself, you want to give him a good shake and say “What’s wrong with you, man?” because, repeat after me, grumpiness and negativity are not sexy.

He also sabotages his own happiness by acting against his own desires for most of the movie.

It takes him super long to separate his identity from his property and admit/accept/embrace what really matters in life and to him.

That said, he has redeeming qualities that make us forgive him.

He does acknowledge pretty early on that Sophie’s ex husband is an idiot.
He is smart and he actually has a profession other than just being a royal who inherited something.
He is hard-working.
He’s super compassionate. He did this brilliant, life-saving thing for the whole village, even though it put him at a severe disadvantage financially.
He can be super romantic.
He is attracted to a woman his age.

So you have:

The opposites attract trope but in a redeeming way. Here opposites aren’t necessarily opposites so much as they have conflicting goals and conflicting ways of dealing with problems.
Supportive, super friendly, loyal-as-hell people. No one has a bad heart in this movie. Possible? No. Do we love the escapism? Yes!
Christmas, snow, horse-riding, a castle, shiny and colorful lights, a great dance

And best of all, and I can’t stress enough, the leads are in their 50s. We don’t get enough romcoms in this age group.

(Seriously, if I get one more character who freaks about turning 30 and not being married…)

TL, DR?

– The protagonist is a prolific writer who lives the fantasy of many, many real-life writers.

– Scotland is gorgeous. Christmas can be lovely. Dances rock!

– Romantic love and sex are great at any age.

– There is a lot of cheese. Cheese and clichés abound. You have been warned.

If you spend your time complaining about how romcoms and Christmas movies are annoying and all the same and so predictable, do not watch it.

The rest of you, especially the writers, jump on board.

So what other Netflix Christmas romcoms do I recommend?

Love Hard
A Christmas Prince series (3 movies)
A California Christmas series (2 movies)
Holidate (This technically covers all major holidays and special days, but Christmas is there too!)

Oceans, Surfing, and Romance: A Beach Read from Yours Truly

Posted on June 7, 2021 Written by Pinar Tarhan

*This post was originally published on the 7th of June. It has been updated.

Trivia for A Change Would Do You Good and The Ocean

– Set in San Diego, two major characters (Kevin and Denise) are professional surfers. Their best friends? Three other pro surfers.

– This is a romcom drama featuring an ensemble cast, but the protagonist is clear: Janie. So is the male protagonist, aka her love interest. And you guessed, it’s pro surfer Kevin.

Want to picture what he is like? Imagine Chris Hemsworth, pre-Thor body. Also with slightly shorter hair. (Yes, Kevin is gorgeous. Aren’t most romance leads?)

– Most of the characters are connected by the near-the-beach apartment building they live in. A few characters don’t live in that building but three have beach houses. (Don’t worry, I do explain their finances.)

– There are at least two romantic/sexy scenes set on the beach.

– There’s plenty of outdoor activity. Most of my characters live life to the fullest, but my surfer characters (and especially Kevin) have a huge lust for life. They feel the most alive when they are dancing with the waves. But of course, there is also swimming, skydiving, and camping.

– Movie reference in the novel: Point Break (the original)

– Characters frequently attend and host beach parties. As they should.

What’s this author’s relationship to the ocean?

I am a total beach lover.

I don’t live by an ocean, but a sea. It takes me a 20 minute-walk to reach the water where I live. My favorite coffee shop has two stories, and both see the sea.

In the summer, I love having a beach vacation: the whole sand/sea/sun package. My holidays are both lazy and active: I rarely ever leave the resort, but I’m almost always going to the water. I spend more time in it than by it.

That would be my feet during one of the said vacations. Kemer, Antalya, Turkey.

The idea for A Change Would Do You Good came to me after I spent a month in California. I was 15 and I stayed at a building that served as a campus for eclectic groups: seniors who loved retirement activities, cheerleaders and footballers, language learners…It really was people of all ages and backgrounds, and I loved it.

At nights, I’d walk to the beach with my friends. Beach houses hosted parties. Anyone was welcome to come in. Different houses played different types of music, and I distinctly remember a rock band performing on a balcony.

In the mornings, I’d ride my rented bike around and to the beach. I’d ride for like 30-45 minutes before breakfast. (I’m currently digging around the apartment for my Cali photos, all taken by non-digital cameras. Sigh.)

Because I was 15 and from another country, I did have camp counselors. One of them also gave surfing lessons. I regret not taking him up on them, but I chickened out. I know how to swim, but I’m by no means great at it. I’ve never been particularly great at physical balancing acts, and sea waves are typically no match for an ocean’s.

Now in my 30s, I really want to learn surfing. Fingers crossed the pandemic leaves us soon and we can travel freely. There are some spots in Turkey where this water sport is possible. Which will be one of my upcoming travel posts on my travel blog Overstuffed Suitcase.

What’s the book about? A Change Would Do You Good Blurb:

Janie yearns for change.

Ever since her boyfriend died and their mutual best friends moved to Canada, she’s been lost and unable to enjoy life.

Nothing a nice new wardrobe, job, car, and a place in another city can’t fix. Right? The job and apartment are great, but her eccentric neighbors will be a challenge to get used to:

Twenty-year-old Ian is obsessed with curing his agoraphobic mom Michelle, and he lashes out by crashing into other people’s cars for fun.
Part-time model/fashion designer Ben could win the worst boyfriend award, and his miserable girlfriend Linda hates her career.
Goth metal chick Ashley loves drugs, guns, and weird parties.
Lackluster cops Sam and Tom want a more exciting life.

Luckily Janie has met Greg, a handsome therapist who might be the best friend a person can have. And her downstairs neighbor Kevin, a pro surfer with the looks of a Norse god, seems fun and friendly enough.

Except neither is ready for how intense their chemistry will be. Janie’s not over her boyfriend. Kevin has dated all the gorgeous women in California. Can they handle their intense feelings? Or will their wildly different romantic pasts get in the way?

With all the antics and chaos going on, only one thing seems certain: Janie’s neighbors provide more distraction and change than she was ever ready for.

A Change Would Do You Good is a romcom drama with an ensemble cast. Escape to this San Diego beach party complete with electrifying music, the whiff of salty air, and the sound of surfer-friendly waves.

<br />

A Change Would Do You Good First Chapter

Los Angeles

Janie sat in her therapist Dr. Lucia Lopez’s office for the twenty-seventh time. She had been seeing her for about seven months.

Eight months ago, her boyfriend Lenny had died. Seven months ago, to add insult to injury, her two best friends Sarah and Andy had moved to Canada. That was when Janie knew she wouldn’t survive this without professional help.

It was the right call. They had talked through her pain, as well as feelings of abandonment and betrayal. Who would move abroad when their best friend was mourning the loss of her boyfriend? He had died two days before her thirty-fifth birthday. And a few weeks after his.

But, of course, it wasn’t that simple. Sarah and Andy weren’t just Janie’s best friends. They were also Lenny’s. Not that grief was, or ever should be a competitive sport. If it were, they would all probably be sharing the medal for first place: Sarah and Lenny had met when they were in diapers. Literally. Their parents were neighbors and dear friends. Luckily for them, their kids — both only children — had taken to each other immediately. Sarah had been inconsolable when Lenny’s father took a job in New York; they were in ninth grade. That’s when she met Janie.

Andy was Lenny’s college roommate. The two bonded over their dream to become Formula 1 drivers and realized it together.

Lenny had introduced Sarah to Andy, and after their move back to LA the four of them had been inseparable. Lenny was a close friend for years before he and Janie started dating.

Yes, the three of them were in immense pain. The difference was Sarah and Andy had each other. And Vancouver had them.

To be fair, Janie did see the appeal of making a new start in a new environment. Yes, she still felt a bit let down. But she was no longer angry with her friends. Talking things through with her therapist had helped immensely.

Lopez observed her patient as Janie studied the beautiful scenic photos of San Diego sprucing up the walls. She was particularly drawn to the blue-dominant one, where high, wild waves crashed onto the golden beach sand.

“Ever been?” Her therapist asked.

“When I was a kid. We vacationed there a lot. It was lovely.”

“Still is.”

Janie could hardly look away from the pictures. She was thinking. Planning. “I never went there with Lenny.”

“Might be just what you need to start over,” her therapist prompted.

“I turned down a job there a couple of weeks ago. Loved the firm. Loved what they offered. But I wasn’t sure I could handle such a huge change.”

“And now?” Janie leaned back and smiled. Her therapist continued. “Being the new person in an environment can provide a lot of distraction. And I definitely encourage you to go out and meet as many new people as you can. Still, never hurts to have someone you can call.” Lopez picked at the neatly stacked Rolodex on her desk. She searched a bit before she found the name she wanted. She took the card out and handed it to Janie. “Greg’s a good friend of mine from school. He’s a therapist himself, but he works for a corporation.”

Janie threw her a curious look.

“I’m sure he can recommend a few decent local therapists should you need one, but I’m really just giving you the number of a friend. He can show you around. Introduce you to people,” the therapist explained.

“Won’t he be weirded out? Me being your patient?”

“Janie, you’re just going through a tough time. And honestly, I think you will hit it off.” Janie looked horrified. The therapist laughed a little. “Relax. I’m not matchmaking. I know you’re not ready to date again. And Greg is seeing someone. But he makes a damn good friend.”

“Thank you,” Janie said gratefully.

Janie wasted no time calling Greg when she went home. If she were going to change cities, she might as well start making friends. He sounded even more pleasant than described.

She made her second call to Ellen Parker, the head of the San Diego fashion design firm who had offered her the job.

Janie was in her bedroom, hastily packing the remainder of her wardrobe into the suitcase on her bed. She wanted to be out of there like yesterday. Her older brother Peter sat next to the suitcase, disapproving, which was his default mode. Janie kept ignoring him. That was her default in their relationship. He’d never change. And on the plus side, he couldn’t stand being ignored.

Janie looked at her almost full suitcase, and then at the other fully-packed carry-on on the floor. Her closet was far from empty. Peter read her mind.

“That’s what happens when you shop non-stop for three weeks.” Peter pointed out the obvious. Janie kept packing. “You don’t have to do this, you know,” he pressed.

She went into the bathroom. The moment she was out of sight, Peter unzipped the suitcase on the bed and threw the clothes back into the wardrobe.

Janie returned with her toiletries and saw Peter unpacking. “What the hell?” She darted to her bed, pushing him aside. She dumped the toiletries on the bed and quickly recovered the items from the wardrobe, throwing them back into the suitcase until it couldn’t take any more. Then she zipped it shut with one swift, angry pull.

“Hey, take it easy. You know I have nothing against you moving on. But transforming your whole life to do it?”

“Remind me, when did the love of your life die?” She lifted her suitcase from the bed and put it on the floor. She dragged the carry-ons as she exited the room.

Peter followed her outside. As soon as he saw the new red Chevrolet Camaro parked in the driveway, his eyes almost left their sockets – cartoon style. “What was wrong with your perfectly normal car?”

Janie just placed her suitcases in the trunk and shut it. The backseat was full of photo albums, DVDs and CDs.

“Do you have any savings left at all? And why are you still traveling like it’s the 90s?”

Janie smirked at the question. Peter looked like he might have a heart attack soon. She got in the car and closed the door. She took out what looked like a brand-new phone from her bag, gestured him to call her and drove away.

Peter frowned, then instinctively fished out his phone to test his theory. He dialed Janie’s number. No longer in use.

Janie sped away in her convertible. Her car’s speakers blasted AC/DC’s Highway to Hell for good measure. She smiled as she mouthed the lyrics, ironically feeling like she was escaping hell.

Janie looked out of the window of her new fourth-story apartment. She could see the beach down the road. On quieter days, she bet she could hear the waves splashing on the shore.

The neighborhood was stunning with just enough colorful buildings. Not too crowded. The tallest ones had five or six floors at the most, giving everyone space to breathe.

The inhabitants were intent on making the most of the beach. People who lived here weren’t exactly rich, but they didn’t have money problems either. Not that Janie cared about that. It would just be nice to hit Peter with the facts when he started nagging that she’d downgraded her life somehow.

A couple of hours later, Janie sat on her sofa and took in her spacious two-bedroom apartment. It was modern and vibrant without being too quirky. It was completely her. She had only a few boxes left to unpack. She smiled to herself, dialed her mom on her cell and left a message.

“Hi, mom. Just calling to say I’m almost settled. This place is amazing. Remember, you can’t give this number to Peter. Or my address. Not yet.”

She hung up and dialed Greg. Got his voicemail.

“Hey! You were right. This place is something else. Thanks for everything. Let me know when you want to meet up.”

Past midnight, Janie was sound asleep in her bed. Suddenly, loud hardcore metal music with brutal vocals blasted from downstairs and jolted her awake.

“What the hell?” she yelled and tried to go back to sleep. She buried her head in her pillow. The music continued. Frustrated, she took her MP3 player from her top night table drawer. She put her earphones on. Before she could push play, she heard the loud crack of a gunshot. Then another.

Shaking off her initial panic, Janie dialed 911.

*******

Liked what you read? Subscribe below to get the first 5,5 Chapters.
Why 5,5? It’s the most Amazon allows me as it’s on Kindle Unlimited. (If your book is on KU, you can only give away up to 10% of your book.)

Romcom Book Launch’s Coming: A Change Would Do You Good in 15 Questions & Answers

Posted on March 12, 2021 Written by Pinar Tarhan

Happy Wednesday, fellow writing addicts! My second novel, romcom/drama A Change Would Do You good is up for pre-order! And it launches on Thursday, March 18th.

Want to read the first chapter? Go here.

Want to pre-order? Go here.

So, I created a fun FAQs post to tell you the important, entertaining, and interesting tidbits about my baby. (Yes, we are still talking about the book!)

A Change Would Do You Good in 15 Q&As:

A Change Would Do You Good. A romcom novel by Pinar Tarhan.

What’s the genre?

Romance/Comedy/Drama.

What’s the setting?

California.

First Los Angeles, then San Diego. Vancouver, Canada gets an honorable mention.

When’s the setting?

The present, but in a world without the pandemic.

Who’s the protagonist?

Janie, a 35-year-old fashion designer desperate to change her life after the death of her boyfriend.

Who are other important characters?

This is an ensemble piece. Most of the characters are directly or indirectly connected to Janie, but there are several main characters with their own storylines that might not include her.

Main Characters:

Kevin: A world-champion pro surfer with the looks of a Norse God and a casual look outlook on relationships.

Denise: Kevin’s biggest rival and one of the best surfers ever.

Greg: A handsome therapist with a good heart and an unlucky romantic who is more focused on solving his friends’ problems.

Linda: A marketing professional stuck at a thankless, low-paid job and in a relationship that ran its course. She’s just too broke and unmotivated to get out. She’s Greg’s best friend.

Ben: A part-time model/part-time fashion designer who lives his life to maximize the fun. He’s also Linda’s boyfriend.

Ashley: loves drugs, metal music, and driving her neighbors crazy with wild parties and stunts.

Michelle: is an accomplished freelance writer suffering from severe agoraphobia. She hasn’t left her house in six years.

Ian: Michelle’s 20-year-old son absolutely obsessed with curing his mom.

Tom and Sam: Tom and Sam

Is this a series or a standalone?

It’s both.

It’s a standalone book without a cliffhanger. But I love these characters, and I’m planning to continue.

That’s a lot of characters. How will we keep up?

They all have distinct personalities and roles in the book. I hope I’ve done a good job, but just in case, how about using this post as a cheat sheet?

How did this story come about? Why this story? Why you? Why California? Just, why?

When I was 15,5, I stayed in Santa Barbara for a month. It was one of the best times of my life. I met a lot of interesting characters (though none of them made it to the book), attended a lot of parties (don’t worry, I didn’t drink – and the parties did make it to the book), and fell in love with the beauty of the place. People were also incredibly friendly and welcoming.

One day, I woke up with the idea of a woman dealing with a huge loss by making this huge change, and how she dealt with the challenge. Then came her second chance at romance, complete with a bunch of colorful new friends and neighbors.

How long is it?

Less than 55K words. It’s short.

Standalone or series?

It’s both.

This book contains no cliffhangers. There is one scene toward the end with two characters where you might wonder what will happen next – and that will be explored further in the second book. But all the main plotlines are resolved.

I love these characters. I originally created this as a TV series, so even if the second book took 5 years to write – which I’m hoping it won’t, I’ll be working on it.

However, this is a satisfactory and complete read on its own.

What’s with the title?

It really encompasses the theme. It’s not just Janie who will go through massive changes.

How was it writing so many characters?

It was so much fun! The possibilities were endless.

If this was a TV series, who would play whom?

I’ve given the most thought to my male protagonist to Kevin. Because I know quite a few actors who would be perfect.

Chris Hemsworth with no beard/long hair. He’s only a few years older than Kevin.

If I was shooting it in the early 2000s, Jason Lewis! You might remember him as The Absolute Hunk from Sex and The City series.

And it’s not I said no to Charlie Hunnam.

Ben – William Levy (or someone who is a few years younger.)

Greg – Ricky Whittle.

However, I can’t wait to hear your suggestions after you’ve read the book.

What are some of the positive reactions this thing received?

Olga Mecking says: “A Change Would Do You Good is a real page-turner, always leaving you wanting to know more about what will happen to the characters. And it won’t leave you alone until you’re done.”

And Carrie Lowrence says “A Change Will Do You Good will whisk you away to sunny California to join a cast of characters that feel like friends. Janie is trying to get over the death of her ex-boyfriend and cope with her eclectic neighbors, especially the slightly arrogant Kevin. Can she overcome the pain of her past and find love again? If you love stories about close-knit groups of friends that will make you laugh and cry, this book will do you good.”

You can also head on to Goodreads to read some early reviews.

Can you give us the blurb already?

Janie desperately needs a change, and she needs it yesterday.

Ever since her boyfriend died and their mutual best friends moved to Canada, she’s been lost and unable to enjoy life.

So she gets a new wardrobe, job, car, and place. In another city.

The new job and apartment are great, but her colorful neighbors will be a challenge to get used to:

Agoraphobic Michelle and her car-crash happy son who is obsessed with curing his mom,
Part-time model/fashion designer Ben who seems to be competing for the worst boyfriend award and his miserable girlfriend Linda who hates her career,
Goth metal chick Ashley who loves drugs, guns, and weird parties,
Lackluster cops Sam and Tom who want a more exciting life.

With all the antics and chaos going on, only one thing seems certain: Her neighbors provide her with more distraction and change than she was ever ready for, including an epic romance…

There you go! I hope that you have fun if you choose to read this book! If you have any questions, hit me up in the comments! And if you want to pre-order, you can do so now.

First Chapter of My New Romance Novel: A Change Would Do You Good

Posted on January 2, 2021 Written by Pinar Tarhan

My upcoming novel is called A Change Would Do You Good, and it’s a romcom drama set in California. It features an ensemble cast of colorful characters, and my protagonist Janie has to navigate loss and a crazy amount of change if she wants to adjust to her crazy new world.

If I were to name chapters, this first chapter would be called Welcome to the Neighborhood.

Read on for a surprise at the end!

A Change Would Do You Good

Chapter 1