Most novelists have themes that turn up over and over in their fiction. It’s part of why readers return to their books again and again. Stephen King often includes groups of outcast kids who must band together to fight evil, evil lurking beneath the surface of small-town life, and the role of faith in both evil and the fight against evil. And, as these examples make clear, good vs. evil overall.
At first I didn’t recognize many common themes in my own novels.
Common Themes, Very Different Novels
The Awakening series has a college-aged main character, is told from multiple viewpoints, and deals with themes of good and evil on a large scale, apocalyptic prophecies, and how deeply held beliefs can cause people to see the same situation (in this case a pregnant virgin) in totally different ways that lead to conflicting goals and choices. There are villains, but their views are explored and their motives are rarely simply to do evil things. They believe they are doing what’s right.
The Q.C. Davis mystery series is far more personal. It’s told mainly by the main character, Quille, a thirty-something lawyer who solves crimes because of her deep mistrust in authorities which is rooted in childhood trauma. The villains tend to be true villains who commit murder for convenience, personal gain, or because they can’t help themselves.
And then there’s my orphan book, When Darkness Falls. Though published later, I wrote it before all the others. It’s about a twenty-something woman who falls for a man who doesn’t know he recently became a vampire. It explores love, commitment, attraction, isolation. The villain there, too, is fairly villainous.
So what ties these together?
Some common themes emerged as I worked through my marketing. But one didn’t occur to me until a friend pointed it out — terrible mothers.
The worst is probably in When Darkness Falls. Seen entirely through the protagonist’s eyes, while that mother allows her daughter to move home as she’s recovering from injuries, she’s unsympathetic, overly critical, and generally makes her daughter Haley’s life that much stressful. The difficult relationship in part pushes Haley to rush into marriage with someone she doesn’t know well as a way to get away.
In The Awakening, protagonist Tara Spencer’s mom is quite combative from nearly page 1. Not only does she refuse to believe Tara never had sex but is all the same pregnant (which to be fair would be hard to believe in real life), she accuses her daughter of lying to protect her good girl image of herself. But the character is more complex than Haley’s mother. Through the course of four books the reader learns more about Lynette’s life and views and why she is the way she is. And despite her friction with her daughter, Lynette by her actions comes through for Tara, sometimes when no one else does.
The mom in the Q.C. Davis mysteries emotionally abandons Quille as a child. And, when Quille is an adult, often takes everything Quille does for her for granted and criticizes her. But Brenda Davis’s reasons for being the way she is are explored more deeply than Lynette’s. Her second daughter, the original Quille C. Davis (known as Q.C.), was kidnapped and murdered as a young girl. Brenda never recovered from the loss. She named Quille, born soon after, for her deceased daughter and forever held up the original Q.C. as the perfect child.
Brenda’s chronic depression and anxiety shaped Quille’s life. But Brenda did make sure Quille was cared for by her grandmother, who provided a lot of love and support. That led to Quille being a happier, healthier (to a point) person than is likely given the family trauma. And as the books unfold the relationship between the two improves incrementally.
Where These Themes Come From
Given what I just shared (much of which you may know depending upon which books you’ve read), it’s hard to believe I didn’t see the “terrible mothers” theme. And you’re probably wondering about my relationship with my mother. When I was a kid, it was great. No parent is perfect any more than any human is. But my mom and dad were good parents. I was lucky enough that I always felt safe at home, had enough to eat, and got the message that I could do whatever I put my mind to. My mom did tend to be critical. But overall the message was to do my best and treat other people well and I’d likely get wherever I wanted to go.
When I was young my parents were really good, too, at encouraging me at what I did well, pushing me to expand my comfort zones a little, but mostly wanting me to be my best self rather than turning me into someone else. So, for instance, they accepted early on that they weren’t raising an athlete. Or even a kid who could catch a softball. (Good luck on that.)
But as an adult my mother and I ran into roadblocks. As I said when I gave her eulogy, she was a strong, determined woman who went her own way, knew her own mind, and was certain she was right. She raised me to be the same way. No surprise that when we didn’t agree it was hard to resolve. She definitely wanted me to think for myself. She just wasn’t prepared for me to think differently than she did.
Maybe I wasn’t either.
No doubt the things that challenge me influence what I choose to write about. While my mom and I came to a pretty good place before she died, mother-daughter relationships in all their forms still tend to intrigue me. But when creating fictional moms, daughters, or any characters, I draw from multiple people I’ve known for a short or long time, read about, or heard about, not only my own experience. I’m sure all writers do the same or most novels would be too much like ordinary life. My hope, though, is that whatever I’m exploring, readers find something that speaks to them about their own lives. And maybe walk away feeling a little more hopeful.
That’s all for now. I hope you have a great weekend.
Best,
Lisa
P.S. Here’s where you can check out the fiction mentioned above:
Start the Awakening series:
https://lisalilly.com/the-awakening/
Read the Q.C. Davis Mysteries:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MHH9QVY
Check out When Darkness Falls:
https://lisalilly.com/when-darkness-falls-2/
