I don’t remember every plot I’ve ever read.
I remember novels that changed the way I looked at the world. Not because they handed me answers, but because they left me with questions, I couldn’t stop asking.
Some did it through beautifully crafted prose. Others through unforgettable characters. A few simply held up a mirror and asked me to look a little longer.
The writers who have stayed with me are remarkably different. Toni Morrison, Beverly Jenkins, bell hooks, and K.C. Mills each approach storytelling in their own way. What they share is an ability to leave something with the reader long after the last page.
There is a place for books that simply entertain. I enjoy them too. Sometimes a lighthearted romance or an audiobook with a satisfying ending is exactly what I need after a long week. Every story doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world. Sometimes we need a story that is just fun.
But the novels that stay with me do something different.
They create space for reflection. They quietly ask us to consider our own assumptions, our relationships, and the choices we might make under similar circumstances. All between the lines of dialogue and the unfolding of the plot,
Those are the kinds of stories I hope to write.
I lived with Becoming Liz for six years. Every revision taught me something about Elizabeth, but it also taught me something about myself. By the final draft, I wasn’t trying to convince readers that Elizabeth always made the right choice. She doesn’t. In fact, there were moments when I disagreed with her.
But she felt true.
My hope wasn’t that readers finish Becoming Liz with all the answers. I hope they finish it, thinking about the questions Elizabeth’s journey raises. Questions about identity, family, forgiveness, love, and the lives we choose to build.
Those are the stories that remain with me, and I hope they’re the stories I leave behind.
Happy reading, writing, and creating.
Kitt