Barbara O’Neal is a long time contributor to Writer Unboxed. She is the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids, The Art of Inheriting Secrets, and The Lost Recipe for Happiness. She lives in Colorado Springs with her partner, a British endurance athlete who vows he’ll never lose his accent.
“A woman’s strange disappearance brings together four strong women who struggle with their relationships, despite their need for one another. Fans of Sarah Addison Allen will appreciate the emphasis on nature and these women’s unique gifts in this latest by the author of When We Believed in Mermaids.” —Library Journal
We’re excited to have Barbara O’Neal on board today to answer questions about her latest novel, The Lost Girls of Devon, releasing July 14th.
Thank you, Barbara!
Q1: What’s the premise of your new book?
The Lost Girls of Devon is a story of four generations of women grappling with family betrayals and long-buried secrets.
It’s been years since Zoe Fairchild has been to the small Devon village of her birth, but the wounds she suffered there still ache. When she learns that her old friend and grandmother’s caretaker has gone missing, Zoe and her fifteen-year-old daughter return to England to help.
Zoe dreads seeing her estranged mother, who left when Zoe was seven to travel the world. As the four generations of women reunite, the emotional pain of the past is awakened. And to complicate matters further, Zoe must also confront the ex-boyfriend she betrayed many years before.
Q2: What would you like people to know about the story itself?
The story is about mothers and how our mothers influence us, chart our journeys for the good and for the worst. A mother runs away and her daughter is overprotective of her child. But it’s also about redemption, forgiveness, and growing into the person you are meant to be. That’s not always easy for women, especially when they become mothers.
Q3: What do your characters have to overcome in this story? What challenge do you set before them?
