Getting to know...In 2001, Marilyn Baxter discovered
romance novels quite by accident, which led to a renewed interest in writing.
She’s had over forty stories published in the confessions and romance magazines
and taught a class in how to effectively write for this genre. She is a member
of Romance Writers of America and her local RWA chapter, Heart of Dixie Romance
Writers. Her involvement on the local and national levels has combined to give
her a great love of the romance genre and to develop friendships that span the
globe.
I’ve
recently read posts by authors who have struggled with various challenges
including depression, physical illness and parenting a bi-polar child. I applaud their candor because by telling
their story, they gave hope to someone else.
So here’s my story and my wish that it gives someone hope.
By
definition, a romance has a happily ever after ending. We romance writers call it the HEA. But have you ever wondered what happens when
the “ever after” part ends? For me, it
ended after 37 years, 7 months and 12 days of marriage. With the stroke of a judge’s pen, my marriage
was over.
My
world changed. Life as I knew it ended. I was a single woman on her own – at the age
of 59. The kids were grown so I hadn’t
had Mom duty for a while. But what was I
going to be if I wasn’t a wife? I’d
married right out of college and it was all I’d ever known.
I’d
been drawn to romance novels because of the HEA, and when I began writing, all
I wanted to write was romance. How was I
going to write HEA when my own had ended?
I wasn’t, that’s how. For what
seemed like ages, I could hardly write a coherent grocery list. Creativity is greatly affected by major life
changes, and divorce is at the top of that list.
Fortunately,
I had supportive family and friends, and I was smart enough to seek
professional help as well as a support group.
I learned about the five stages of grief because I was indeed grieving
the end of my marriage.
Denial,
anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
I went through every stage, sometimes doubling back through a stage more
than once. All I could do was take life
one step at a time and work through that grief.
I’m
happy to say that in the 5 ½ years since the divorce became final, I have made
a wonderful new life for myself. I have
new friends who were all in the same situation I was in. I bought a car by myself after my old one was
wrecked, and I recently bought a small condo.
I sold my first book two years ago and have had two more out since then,
including my most recent release, PICTURE THIS.
How
do you deal with divorce? One day at a
time. Surround yourself with supportive
people and use all the resources available to you. I won’t say it’s an easy path, but recovery
is possible.
One
of my favorite sayings is this: Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end. That became my mantra. And if you are struggling with a major life
change, let it be your mantra too.
My
favorite movie is Romancing the Stone,
and when Joan Wilder has given her editor the manuscript detailing her
adventures with Jack T. Colton, her editor says, “Joanie, you are now a
world-class hopeless romantic.” Joan
replies, “No, hopeful. Hopeful
romantic.”
That’s
me – a hopeful romantic. I don’t know if
I will ever marry again. But I know that
life is full of happiness in a lot of ways, I am once again able to write
romance and I’ll believe in HEA forever.
When it comes to
relationships, Tess Callahan is gun-shy. An ambitious Atlanta divorce attorney,
she’s seen the aftermath of relationships gone bad, which is why she has no
time in her life for any man except for Nick Russo. Handsome and exciting, he’s
the perfect choice to give her all she desires—including the fact he’s never
around long enough for things to get complicated. Until suddenly they do.
Nick Russo has the
world. His job as a photographer takes him everywhere, and he wouldn’t give
that life up for anyone, not even the beautiful and brilliant Tess Callahan. Or
so he thinks. An unexpected pregnancy is about to bring everything into focus,
a brighter and more colorful world than he ever thought to imagine. The
possibilities are endless, and they’re something he can capture not just on
film but in reality.
“We have something we need to talk
about,” she said cautiously and gauged Nick’s reaction. Sure enough, he looked
at the monitor again. He scrubbed his fingers across the back of his neck then
ran them through his hair, causing the wayward locks to become even more
tousled.
He crossed his arms defensively and
leaned back in the chair. “I’m all ears.” His tone was cool and even.
Maybe she could get through this
without crying.
She waved a hand over her stomach. “I
guess you were a little surprised to see me like this.” Her voice faltered. She
reached for a glass of water on the tray and took a long drink.
His dark eyebrows raised inquiringly
above espresso-colored eyes that remained trained on her face. “Oh yeah. More
than a little. Surprised is an understatement.”
“And I guess you’re wondering how this
happened, huh?”
“I think it’s pretty obvious how it
happened, but there’s a question that’s really burning in my mind right now.
Actually it’s been burning there since I saw you this afternoon.”
He never said the words, but Tess knew
what they were, and the time had arrived to come clean about everything.
Tess placed her hand gently on her
abdomen and looked directly at him. “This is your baby, Nick.”
He nodded. “I pretty much suspected it
was, but I don’t know whether to be excited or mad or confused.”
She could understand the first two
reactions. But the third?
“Confused?”
“Well, I did use a condom. Every single
time,” he said with a hint of irritation in his voice. “I take that
responsibility seriously.”
“You know as well as I do they’re not
foolproof. Nothing is foolproof. Abstinence is the only method that’s one
hundred percent effective to prevent pregnancy, and I don’t seem to remember
either one of us being a great big fan of that.” Tess felt the baby kick as if
to tell her to calm down. “I didn’t date anyone while you were gone. I can have
DNA tests run if you…” Her voice trailed off and she looked away, avoiding his
gaze altogether.
“No, there’s no need for that. I have
no reason to doubt you. I do wonder why you didn’t tell me, but we’ll table
that discussion for the time being. However, I am concerned about you not
taking the doctor’s advice. This is serious business, Tess. That’s our son
who’s at risk.” He gestured toward the monitor that displayed the baby’s vital
signs. “Since I’m between assignments, I’m going to help you.”
Tess lost her battle against the tears,
and Nick was beside her in two strides. He sat on the edge of the bed and used
his thumb to wipe away the tears. Then he leaned over and kissed her gently on
the cheek.
“If the doctor will release you from
the hospital, I’ll stay with you until you can hire someone to come in and
help. Is that a workable solution?”
Tess nodded, unable to speak around the
lump in her throat.
“You worry about everything else, and
I’ll put the chest together,” Nick offered. “After all, I do have every
conceivable screwdriver known to man.”
“Thank you. I’d like that very much.”
Tess heard him chuckle softly. “That
had to hurt, Tessie. You accepting help from someone had to hurt a damned lot.
I was afraid you might tell me to go to hell again.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
I’ll give away a digital copy
of my previous book Direct Deposit to one commenter. Leave your email address in your comments.
One of the hidden surprises on the trip for me was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. No picture I took could compare to the real beauty here. And you can see why Yellowstone got it's name.
Officially on the Utah/Arizona state line ... Monument Valley is yet another spectacular site. But honestly, we spent the entire day pointing out rock formations and taking pictures of them against a cloud-building sky and another gorgeous sunset.
