The River House by Carla Neggers

THE RIVER HOUSE
Swift River Valley Book 8
(and Carla’s 75^th published novel!)
MIRA Books
March 27, 2018 mmp original
ISBN-10: 0778330834
ISBN-13: 978-0778330837

A bad brownie is better than no brownie. It’s one of life’s rules.

So says Felicity MacGregor, party-planner, ex-financial analyst and ex-friend of high-flying businessman Gabe Flanagan. Gabe was also her first love. They had a falling out a few years ago and…of course…brownies were involved. Not the reason. Just involved.

Ever have a smell, a taste or a sound take you straight to another time and place in your life? Maybe the smell of lilacs reminds you of your wedding, or the taste of licorice takes you back to going to the movies as a kid, or a lullaby brings tears to your eyes, because it was one your grandmother sang to you? Our senses are integral to our emotional experiences.

In other words, sometimes a brownie isn’t just a brownie.

A bed, brownies, a kiss. We’re good. 

Felicity again, her way of telling Gabe they don’t have to be at odds with each other any longer. Now that he’s returned to their spot on the river in their little New England hometown, and they’ve made amends to each other, they can go back to being friends. Best friends. Or can they?And coffee isn’t just coffee for them. I mean, is it ever?

He got up and poured himself coffee, which he took black—still, she thought. He always had, from his first cup at thirteen. 

And, later, when Gabe fixes Felicity coffee, he tells her:

I figure you must still take your coffee with half-and-half since it’s in the fridge. I’ll drink it if I jumped the gun.

But, of course, he didn’t, and that he remembers is a jolt for her.

In writing with the senses in mind, the simple act of making coffee can be…well, sexy:

She went about putting on another pot of coffee. He offered to help, but she shook her head. She didn’t need him buzzing around her. He was distracting enough as he pulled out a chair and sat at the table. The muscles in his arms, the fall of his shirt over his flat abdomen, the hug of his jeans on his thighs. Yeah, distracting enough.

Just friends, huh?

Not long ago, I spoke at a writers’ conference and brought up one of my earliest writing lessons: the 3 Cs. Concrete, clear, concise. That’s good to remember when writing descriptions using the five senses. A red flower isn’t just a flower but a red petunia. At the same time, though, we’re seeing the flower through the point of view of a particular character. Would he or she recognize a petunia or even notice a petunia? There are times when we wouldn’t be noticing petunias, that’s for sure! What we notice is filtered through our emotions at the time and a garden designer, for example, is going to know different things about flowers and such than someone who’s never picked up a trowel.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on coffee, brownies, first love and writing—and reading!—with the senses. I hope you enjoy The River House!