A Diary’s House Guest Post

How has ‘A Diary’s House’ evolved from its original inception to the published novel in its
current form?

‘A Diary’s House’ has been through a long journey of its own. The story inception began back
in 2001 and was written in the same year (in rough draft form), but this was just the beginning.
Especially the first several chapters (including the prologue) have seen a few makeovers
throughout the years.

The first part of ‘A Diary’s House’ compiled much information; from the initial development on
the scenic backdrop of the North Carolina mountains, to the initial Cherokee legend story, and
weaving the final piece of the mystic Randola river – the mystery and allure of part truth and part
imagination.

The intricate plot levels and multi-level storylines had to be managed well with its pacing. Throw
in the unusual narrative and you discover yourself juggling on a very small tightrope in order to
pull the story together in a way that would appeal to readers – not only from a particular genre,
but also to garner readerships from many ‘walks of interest’. It’s a bold transition to make an
attempt not to settle on one venue, but to have a much greater ‘broad-base’ appeal to attract a
larger audience with.

I felt the best way to tie all this in was to utilize a unique narrative, traditional to the Victorian
era, which would draw the reader in and allow the ‘voice’ of that narrative to tell the story
regarding Landon’s adventure. People would often take this word ‘adventure’ literally, and on its
surface you might suspect as such. But remember the embedded nature of multiple storylines can
make a novel such as ‘A Diary’s House’ seem quite different from the original perception one
might have when beginning the story. As the reader is guided through the novel, former precepts
are often replaced with new ones.

Therein lies the essence to the novel itself. There’s always a message in every story. This novel is
no less. It has a story to tell; it has many stories to tell. The ending is perhaps the greatest lesson
of all, and it’s what makes the adventure all that much more appealing – to discover what true
love really is. We all have our own definition of what true love is, and this can be as varied as our
own personalities and ideals. But in the end, when a story prevails to convey such a message in a
truly honest way, we all recognize what it really is – a story about true love…

C. David Murphy
Author of A Diary’s House

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