By Carolyn Greene
We were the Brady Bunch.
But different. Whereas the popular
TV family featured a mom, a dad, three girls, three boys, and a housekeeper
(RIP, Ann B. Davis, a.k.a. “Alice”), ours consisted of a mom, a dad, one girl
(moi!), five boys, and unfortunately no housekeeper.
Although we weren’t as syrupy sweet as those sitcom kids, in
the yours-mine-and-ours family of my youth none of us ever used the words “step-”
or “half-” when referring to our siblings.
To our way of thinking, we were all just sister and brothers. Perhaps that’s why I like to explore the
concept of family in my novels, whether the members are joined by birth,
adoption, marriage, or choice. Family is
love, regardless of its origin.
In Unexpected Reunion (Book 1 of Love
Inspired’s Southern Blessings series,
release date June 2014) Ruthie Chandler was taken under the nurturing wings of
Gray Bristow’s grandparents while she was still in her teens. They called her their “honorary
granddaughter,” and the best part of being accepted into their loving unit was
meeting and falling in love with their handsome grandson. Later she became engaged to Gray, which would
have solidified her place among the Bristows, but when a crisis of faith while
serving in Afghanistan caused him to break their engagement, the family
dynamics changed for the worse. However,
after he returns from his military duty, it’s ultimately a family problem that
brings the couple back together, and they end up adding to their extended clan in
a way none of them ever anticipated.
What is the most unique family situation you’ve either known
or been a part of?
=====
Carolyn Greene’s family consists of a retired-fire-chief husband,
a son who’s studying for his Ph.D., a schoolteacher daughter, a son-in-law, and
a brand new granddaughter. And let’s not
forget the two hyperactive miniature pinschers who crowd into her chair while she writes.
Carolyn writes romance novels for Love Inspired and mysteries for
Guideposts Books.
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