New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Ryan
lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three
children. When she isn’t writing a book, 
she’s reading one. Her
obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home, and how
late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional
worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and
daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them
on paper.
Ryan applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Sisters and Secrets, and reported the following:
Q&A with Jennifer Ryan.
--Marshal Zeringue
she’s reading one. Her
obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home, and how
late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional
worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and
daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them
on paper.Ryan applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Sisters and Secrets, and reported the following:
From page 69:Visit Jennifer Ryan's website.“You were close with your mom and dad. I sometimes felt like a ping-pong ball between mine. They both tried to make everything seem normal and perfect, but when you aren’t with one parent all the time, it feels like they don’t really know you.”Since the book is about the Silva sisters, the test doesn’t really work. Page 69 doesn’t give the reader a great overview of the conflicts, connections, or secrets between Sierra, Amy, and Heather.
“I try to make my clients see that equal time with their kids is important. Some of them though…They don’t want to give up custody out of spite, not because it’s what’s best for their kids.”
“Divorce sucks.”
“Yep.” He held up his stack of mail. “But it pays the bills.”
Probably quite well based on what she’d heard about him being in high demand.
“So, Sierra, what are you going to do now that you’re back?”
“I need to find a job. I can’t afford not to get back to work right away.”
“I imagine settling your affairs for the house in Napa is going to take a while.”
“I’m probably going to be the loser in the whole thing, too.”
He nodded, a half frown tilting his lips. “California. It costs more to rebuild than insurance covers a lot of the time.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Are you still interested in property management, or do you plan to do something else?”
She tried not to show her surprise that he remembered what she did for a living. “Beggars can’t be choosers, but I’d love to get a job doing what I know. I really enjoyed working with clients and renters.”
“I might know someone who’s looking for help. I could make a call.”
The offer touched her deeply. “Oh, well, that’s so nice, but I don’t want to put you out.”
But the excerpt does give the reader a glimpse into Sierra’s feelings about being the daughter of divorced parents and how she doesn’t feel like her parents really know her. She thinks she has to do everything on her own and feels like though her parents love her, they aren’t always there for her. It’s a glimpse into Sierra’s core personality.
Which is a challenge for her while she deals with the aftermath of losing everything in a wildfire and raising her two sons on her own. Starting over isn’t easy, and Sierra finds it difficult to ask for help, even when she really needs it.
She also wants her family to believe that she’s got it all together, but after all that’s happened to her, and facing an uncertain future with no job or money, the cracks are showing – and her secrets are being revealed.
The reader also gets a glimpse on page 69 of the second chance romance between Sierra and Mason. His offer to help her comes as a surprise. She’s so used to doing everything on her own, she appreciates the genuine offer. He’s not just saying something to e nice, he actually wants to make a call on her behalf and recommend her for a job, something she genuinely needs to support her kids, which makes it even more meaningful to her.
Q&A with Jennifer Ryan.
--Marshal Zeringue
Posts
