Guest Post: A
Marriage Destroyed with Natasha Anders
Hi there, my name
is Natasha Anders and I’m excited to talk to you about the second book in my
Broken Pieces series, Nothing But This.
My long-time
readers will know that I’m a fan of second chance romances and absolutely love
a good marriage in trouble trope. The story of Greyson and Libby falls firmly
within the latter category.
It’s not easy to
write a marriage in crisis novel. By the time we’re introduced to the
characters, they already have a relationship history behind them that readers
have yet to discover. We enter this particular story at the lowest point of
their relationship. The birth of a child should be a happy occasion but
something is clearly wrong here; Libby’s husband isn’t there and she believes
he hates her and her baby. And when Greyson eventually makes his way onto the
page, her belief is confirmed.
No marriage can
survive the things Greyson says at the beginning of this book and finding a way
back from that low point is nearly impossible. I know that my readers are going
to loathe him at the start. My heroine despises him and his own family is angry
with him. I have to find a way to redeem him that will make everybody happy.
And, harder still, I have to find a way to make the readers forgive him and,
ideally, start to root for him.
It’s a challenge
that I absolutely adore. I love hearing from readers who have that “wait a
second, when did I stop hating him?” moment. I want his redemption arc to be so
seamless that readers can’t pinpoint exactly when they started forgiving him.
This is easier said than done and Greyson needs to do a lot of
groveling and apologizing to even get a foot in the door. I like to look at
what he’s doing and saying and put myself in the heroine’s and the reader’s
position. Is this enough? Have I forgiven him yet? Even
if the answer is yes, I try to push it just a little further because “enough”
is never good enough and there will always be someone out
there who wants him to suffer just that tiny bit more. It sounds sadistic, but
I do like to put my characters (male and female) through the wringer. They need
to earn that happy ending.
But the story
needs to be balanced and while my hero is terribly flawed and at times insecure
and vulnerable, his heroine needs to show a similar amount of character growth
and self-recognition. She needs to find an inner strength and confidence that
she lacks at the start of the novel. Striking the exact right balance and
making their journey toward redemption and a satisfactory and well-earned
happily ever after is what makes writing a second chance romance so hard.
One of the things
I hope readers take away from this book is that a situation isn’t always as cut
and dried as it seems on the surface. Greyson comes across as one hundred
percent villain at the start of this book. But he’s insecure and incredibly
lonely. This story is about a man breaking out of his self-imposed isolation
and finding a place, not only in his wife’s heart and life, but also within a
welcoming and accepting society. It is also the story of a woman learning to
embrace and accept the flaws within herself and others.
I loved writing
this book. I started with only one scene constantly playing out in my head; the
hospital scene where Greyson unequivocally rejects his wife and his child.
That’s all I had at the beginning and building this story around that one
moment, was often frustrating but at the same time so incredibly satisfying. I
loved discovering Libby and Greyson’s strengths and weaknesses and often found
that some of those weaknesses echoed my own. It was a vulnerable space within
which to find myself but it was also a rewarding step on my personal journey
toward self-realization and recognition.
Thank you so much
for taking the time to step into my not always sane mind. I do hope you enjoy
reading Nothing But This as much as I loved writing it.
***
Nothing But
This Excerpt
“We need to
talk.”
“I have
absolutely nothing to say to you.”
“Libby, please.”
“Why are you
here? How are you here? Who told you how to find me?”
There was a long
pause as he continued to grimace in her general direction, his eyes slits to
protect himself from the light.
“I have money and
resources. I’ve known where you are for months . . .” He hesitated before
continuing, “For four months, to be exact.”
“Well, then why are
you here?”
“Can we discuss
this inside?”
“I don’t want you
in my house.”
He compressed his
lips in that way he had when he was trying to refrain from speaking his mind.
An expression with which she was much too familiar. It used to bother her back
when she cared about what he was thinking. He opened his mouth as if to say
something, then changed his mind and swallowed back the words.
Oh, wasn’t he
just the model of restraint tonight? Well, Libby had no such reservations and
felt a sense of complete liberation when she unleashed the torrent of
resentment and fury that had been roiling away just beneath the surface for
much longer than the four months since she’d left him. A lot of her anger had
been tamped down during her pregnancy, when he hadn’t offered a single word or
gesture of support. The excuses she had made on his behalf . . . she was
disgusted with herself for not speaking up sooner. But now he was here, in the
flesh, and she could finally let him have it. With both barrels.
“You’re a vile,
disgusting excuse for a man, Greyson. I want nothing more to do with you. I
don’t want my baby within a hundred miles of you. And even that seems too
close. I don’t want you here, contaminating our lives with your toxic presence.
You don’t get to come here and . . . and . . . whatever the hell this is.
I don’t know what you want, I don’t want to know what you want. I want
you gone.”
“Libby, I
understand why you feel that way. But I thought . . .”
Clara’s crying
was escalating, and Libby’s rocking increased agitatedly.
“Yes, I know.
Thought you were infertile, right? And I’m supposed to—what? Feel sorry for
you? Understand your cruelty? Forgive your cruelty? Am I to
take it that you’ve had that paternity test done? You know she’s yours, am I
right? Is that why you’re here? Because let me tell you, mister, you have no
moral right to my child—I will not allow you access to her just because you now
believe you’re her father.”
“I haven’t had
any paternity tests done.”
That made her
pause, but not for long.
“I don’t care,”
she decided. “I don’t care. Go away. Back to your
diamond-encrusted ivory tower. Leave us alone. We don’t need you.”
“I know you
don’t. But . . . maybe I need you?”
***
About the Book
Title: Nothing But This
Author: Natasha Anders
Release Date: July 30, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary
It’s always been complicated between Libby Lawson and
Greyson Chapman—and married life isn’t any simpler. But when Libby gets
pregnant, she at last sees a bright future ahead. There’s just one problem:
Greyson says he’s sterile.
Furious, Greyson abandons the young family. Equally furious and deeply hurt, Libby cuts all ties with him. After all these years, it seems their relationship has finally expired. But love is resilient and endures even when you don’t want it to. Greyson still longs for Libby, and though Libby’s heartbroken by Greyson’s lack of trust, she holds out hope for a complete, happy family.
And so they embark on the journey back to each other, wary of all the obstacles between them. It’s been a long road already—one strewed with fear, doubt, and misunderstandings. Will they keep looking to the past, or will they look to each other and walk hand in hand toward a broad new horizon?
Furious, Greyson abandons the young family. Equally furious and deeply hurt, Libby cuts all ties with him. After all these years, it seems their relationship has finally expired. But love is resilient and endures even when you don’t want it to. Greyson still longs for Libby, and though Libby’s heartbroken by Greyson’s lack of trust, she holds out hope for a complete, happy family.
And so they embark on the journey back to each other, wary of all the obstacles between them. It’s been a long road already—one strewed with fear, doubt, and misunderstandings. Will they keep looking to the past, or will they look to each other and walk hand in hand toward a broad new horizon?
Author Biography
Natasha Anders was born in Cape Town, South Africa. She
spent the last nine years working as an assistant English teacher in Niigata,
Japan, where she became a legendary karaoke diva. Natasha is currently living
in Cape Town with her temperamental and opinionated budgie, Sir Oliver Spencer,
who has kindly deigned to share his apartment with her. Please feel free to
contact her (or Oliver) on Twitter @satyne1.
Social Media Links
Website: https://natashaanders.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/satyne1
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