Sisterhood

We have a very special guest post by Holly McDowell today, where she introduces an important theme from her new serial novel series, King Solomon's Wives.  We are also revealing her impressive and striking cover!  But first, Holly:

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In my new serial novel series, King Solomon's Wives, a clan of women descended from King Solomon's harem live together as fugitives in the modern world. They aren't related by blood, but shared threats and joys, and centuries--old genetic memories--make them feel close. They call each other "sister." As with most complicated familial relationships, sometimes they help each other and sometimes they treat each other as enemies.

I don't have a sister, but there are a few celebrities I'm a hundred percent sure would be like sisters to me if only we had the chance to hang out. (Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow, for instance.)

I also have real-life friends who I consider to be family. While writing the first episode of King Solomon's Wives, one "sister" or another did the following for me:

·         Took me late-night dancing.

·         Baked me cookies.

·         Read my freshly-written pages and told me how to make them stronger.

·         Listened to me go on and on about [dramatic personal social situation].

·         Introduced me to a new friend or two. Or eighteen.

·         Offered opinions on how to finish a jacket I'd designed and tried to sew.

·         Bought my dog a new toy.

·         Helped me move.

·         Invited me to start a creative collaboration.

·         Led me away from vegetarianism forever by introducing me to bacon-wrapped dates.

·         Inspired me with photographs of Paris and the French countryside.

·         Introduced me to a lascivious but glorious addiction to Frye boots.

Here's my sister-like friend, Kelly Swails, and me at a literary event in Chicago last December:

And here's Jean-Leon Gerome's The Terrace of the Seraglio, which shows King Solomon's harem in a rather comfortable setting. In my story, I speculate a less romanticized situation. What if their lives were not filled with pleasurable moments but with difficulties? (Let's be honest--that was probably the case.) My story asks: What if they felt oppressed by their plight and bonded together like sisters to fight it? What if their struggles caused genetic consequences that bound them as fugitives for many generations, even into the modern world?

Image courtesy of wikipedia

Do you have sisters of any sort? Is your relationship simple or complicated, and what have you done for each other lately?

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Now that Holly has you completely intrigued, be the first to take a peek at her gorgeous cover:

Is your interest not piqued???