Title Reveal

I finally have a working title for my manuscript. Up to this point, I have been lovingly calling my second child “A Book Has No Name” or “The Book Who Shall Not Be Named”.

So today I am excited to tell you that my manuscript is called, “Not By Blood”.

I shared with you in my 100 followers video, that my two protagonists are cousins, well, step cousins who fall in love. Throughout the story they are quick to point out that they are cousins but not by blood. My female protagonist is also quick to point out that her abusive adoptive father is not her biological dad. There is a theme of distancing oneself from relations. Family ties get cut and re-strung throughout the novel. Brian (my male protagonist) obviously wants to clarify that Emma (the female protagonist) is not his biological cousin because he is attracted to her. His denial is more than the “ick” factor of incest. His prominent upbringing clashes with the impoverished way his uncle (Emma’s adoptive father) and her family lives. He goes from living in a timber frame mansion in Alaska to a dilapidated shack in Washington State. He experiences social class shock from the first chapter. He really doesn’t want to claim any of these poor relations as his own.

Emma also wants to clarify that she is not blood related to Brian because she is strongly attracted to him. As I mentioned before, she also wants to remember that her abusive father is not a blood relation, this helps her to mentally cope with the abuse. Emma loves her biological mother, but also abhors her. She is condescending to her mother and is angry with her for marrying such a terrible man and for running and hiding from the domestic abuse by overusing prescription medication. Her strongest sense of family is with her best friend’s family who have supported her dreams and taken an interest in her well-being.

While writing this novel and my characters I realize that by dissecting this family, I am trying to discover what family relationships mean. Is blood thicker than water in only the tangible sense? How are the relationships we form by freewill different from the relationships we are born into?

-Rachel McKee

COVER IMAGE PROVIDED BY MILESMCKEEPHOTOGRAPHY

 

Author: Rachel McKee

I love reading about everything. I'm not a book snob. Lately I have been "reading" a lot of picture books to my toddler and baby. In my past life before motherhood, I was a professional technical editor and writer.

41 thoughts on “Title Reveal”

  1. That’s truly awesome!
    I loved how you called it your second child, 😂 a book who shall not be named but now it got a name! Let’s enjoy…
    😊😊🎁🎈🎀🙌🎍✋✋🎀🎄😍🎊🎄🎁🙌🎈💗🎍💗🙌👍🎀🎀🙋🙋🎍💗💗🎁🎀🎈🎄🎊🎄🎍🎁💗🎈

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  5. I think there’s a lot of truth to the idea that you can’t change who you’re related to – in terms of genes – but you can definitely choose who your family is. In my fantasy series, I have a main character who is barely related (4th cousin or so) to the family she lives with, but most of her biological relations are deceased, so the question arises – does she feel like part of their family because of how they treat her, or because of that bit of blood?

    I wondered, too, if there were any real life influences to your story.

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    1. That makes me so happy that the story I created sounds like it could be true. That’s actually very reassuring. I’m sorry if you have told me this before, but is your series available already?

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      1. No, don’t worry, you’re not late to the party – I won’t have book 1 ready for the printers until probably December. I’m hoping for a pre-holiday release, if possible. I will be sharing more about the series as the release date gets closer (i.e. as actual completion reaches fruition). My plans for all 6 novels *yeah, I know, it’s a lot to write* are set down (mostly), but release dates will depend on available time to edit, finances for the printers, etc.

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      5. In some draft form, yes – but it will take a little while to have everything typed/proofread/in nice-looking text. 😉

        I’ve been working on it off and on for several years.

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      7. And the feelings your characters are experiencing definitely sound like ways other people have felt, when in a similar situation. I think your book will do well, because it’s a premise that people can relate to (even without being orphans or in an abusive home).

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  10. Congratulations Rachel! Sounds like you’ve got yourself a title that is both catchy and fitting!

    I like the theme of your novel. I’ve been turning the importance of “blood relations” over in my mind too lately. Can’t wait to see your in-depth analysis!

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  11. Well, I like the first name male character. Family is always a topic fraught with tension. Btw, saw on your sidebar you liked Bob Dylan. I wrote a song for a poetry prompt based on Dylan and posted it earlier today. Good luck with your novel, I self-published a novel back in 2007.

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