Unrevealed, Take 2

I believe many authors look back at their first published work(s) with disdain, maybe even embarrassment, as I did. Fortunately, my publisher, Jeanne Johansen of High Tide Publications, has been gracious enough to let me re-write Unrevealed, one of my first novels.

I haven't changed the plot. I still like the original story about a family secret that the protagonist, Allison Harmon, is compelled to uncover. After Marcus Harmon’s death, Allison inherits Wellington Manor, her childhood home, and Harmon & Harmon Enterprises, her father’s multi-billion-dollar textile industry. She also begins to suffer what she thinks are hallucinations but soon learns they are memories from her childhood.

Allison discovers her family has kept something significant from her, and she resolves to uncover the truth. But first she must travel to Paris for Fashion Week. Still reeling from her father’s death, she seeks to remain incognito to avoid the paparazzi. When she meets Jack Sanderling, an American doctoral art student, they experience an instant connection. While they spend several hours talking, Allison never divulges her identity. Jack knows her only as Allie. But I’ll stop there and leave the rest for you to read.

I still like the main characters, Jack and Allison, and the secondary characters: Theo, Allison’s assistant at H&H Enterprises; Zavie, Jack’s roommate at the New York Academy of Art; Silvia, Jack’s widowed mother; and Martha, Wellington Manor’s long-time housekeeper and the key to revealing the secret.

I still like the settings of Manhattan (site of H&H Enterprises and New York Academy of Art), Long Island (locale of Wellington Manor), Paris (where Jack and Allie meet), and Bedford, Virginia (Jack’s hometown). 

So, why did I want to re-write Unrevealed? The more I write, the more I learn about writing. I’ve been a published author only since 2010. While I’ve taken many workshops and seminars since retiring from a forty-five-year career in music education and music ministry, I plunged into writing without a degree in English or a career in journalism. I’ve been learning on the fly. So, when Jeanne asked me why I made so many changes to the original version of Unrevealed, my answer was, “I hope it’s because I’m growing as a writer.” 

The second edition of Unrevealed launched on Amazon February 3^rd. I plan to hold a re-launch party in March. Stay tuned to my blog posts for details. Who knows? You might even get a personal invitation.

Cindy L. Freeman is the author of Diary in the Attic, Unrevealed (second edition now released) and The Dark Room (Don't let the title scare you. It has a happy ending). Website: www.cindylfreeman.com