Inspired by the true life Connecticut circus fire of 1944, The Proper Order of Things is a coming-of-age novel set in the 1980s in Southwestern Ontario. Unsure why she is the only child (of 9) who gets to choose between moving with her dad to an apartment in the city and staying with her mother in her remote hometown, Caroline receives an answer that she will contemplate throughout her adolescent years: "You are the lucky one." With parents whose secret past haunts every limb of the family tree, and siblings who range from rats to copycats, Caroline is sure to face a difficult journey no matter which household she chooses. While her compulsive mother allows the family to multiply exponentially in hopes of replacing what was lost, her superstitious father is petrified of history repeating itself. Caroline’s only hope is to move closer to Chester, the one person who truly understands the importance of a pinkie swear. In a family where a birthday is more sacred than life itself, only one member’s death can reveal the truth about the others.
Tara Benwell (www.tarabenwell.com) is an ESL teacher and materials writer who balances a freelance career with fiction writing and motherhood. Her debut novel, The Proper Order of Things, is available on Amazon (print or Kindle). In 2010, Tara decided to let her agent go and publish her first novel on her own. Reading this editor's comment second-hand through her agent helped Tara decide that after years of writing, revising, and waiting, it was okay to hire an editor and get the job done on her own:
"Sorry it's taken me forever to answer you about Tara Benwell's novel. I've really been agonizing over it! What a great book! Crazy characters, really fine writing, good narrative. I loved every minute of reading it! But I've been swamped with exceptional manuscripts. And we can publish only four or five novels per year. After struggling my way to several really difficult decisions, I find myself unfortunately having to say no. Please tell Tara how impressed I am with the novel and her writing and congratulate her. And please do keep me in mind for any of her future projects."
Visit Tara's website to read her blog, listen to her podcasts, and find out what she's writing next. You can also check out the discussion forum below to read the first few reviews from Tara's readers. A video reading from Chapter 1 is available on the right of this screen. Listen to Chapter 1-3 on Tara's blog: www.tarabenwell.com
Follow Tara on twitter @tarabenwell
