Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Surprising Twins by Marta Perry





Why are we so fascinated by identical twins? And how identical are identical twins, anyway?

Her Surprise Sister, my July release, is the first book in a new Love Inspired continuity series, Texas Twins. It will be followed by a new book in the series by a different author each month. All of the stories revolve around a Texas family and two sets of identical twins who were separated when they were very young, and what happens when they discover each other.

Working on the series made me think a great deal, obviously, about the subject of twins in general and about how I might feel if I discovered that I had a sister I'd never known existed. And one, moreover, who looked exactly like me. To a non-twin, it seems almost eerie--like looking in a mirror and discovering two faces staring back at you!

A good friend of mine has twins, boys who are so identical that she assigned colors to them at birth in order to keep them straight. Everyone knows that one is the "blue boy" and the other the "red boy," as they used to say when they were little. Everyone the twins come in contact with, especially their teachers, is grateful for the distinction!

But aside from the outward appearance, what else does being a twin involve? We've all read about twins who develop their own secret language, or who feel pain when the other is hurt. But the twins in our stories grew up separately, so it was great fun to imagine what things they might have in common, as well as how they might be different.

In Her Surprise Sister, Violet Colby comes face to face with her identical twin, Maddie Wallace, at an already critical time in her life. With her mother lying in a coma and her brother caught up in his imagined guilt over her accident, Violet is coping with more than enough burdens for one person. Discovering that much of what she's always believed about herself and her family is a lie could send anyone into an emotional tailspin.

But Violet, like her mother, is a survivor, and she has to find unexpected strength within to carry her through to her own happy ending.

I hope you'll enjoy this new continuity series from Love Inspired. To read the opening of Her Surprise Sister, visit my blog at http://www.booksbymartaperry.blogspot.com.

And tune in next month for the further adventures of the Texas Twins, as Barbara McMahon brings you Maddie's story in Mirror Image Bride.

No comments: