Family Ties

I’ve been thinking about my family recently and the impact they’ve had on my writing. I come from a very close family and a lot of my books involve strong family ties, but none so much as the novel I’m currently writing that will be published by MLR Press. Broken Rules is about two men who grew up best friends in a small town in Northern Ontario. They’re both from large extended families, but their lives have been impacted by their family members in very different ways. Neil has always had the support of his parents and siblings in everything he does, from joining the police force to acknowledging his sexuality. Jonah,  on the other hand, grew up believing he always had the support of his parents but his outlook changed drastically when he was eighteen. Kicked out of the family when he was outed, the only person who stood by him was his cousin Rita-Anne. Both men ended up moving away and living very different lives and now, ten years later, Jonah and Neil have met again back in their hometown at the funeral of Jonah’s mother.

It’s surprised me how much of my family shows up in Broken Rules, in the character of Rita-Anne and in the various members of Neil’s family. Cousins, parents, aunts and uncles, my sister… their support has shaped me to be the person I am and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how my large and loving family influences the characters in the Broken trilogy.

Written by Jade Buchanan

Jade Buchanan is currently trying to find balance between work, writing and grad school, which makes for some interesting conversations over the dinner table. Her writing is as eclectic as her reading tastes, with over twenty gay and bisexual novella's currently published, and she has been known to accept writing challenges from friends and family just to see their reactions. Jade lives in Calgary, Alberta, where she’s hard at work on her next story.
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