Authors: Heather Gudenkauf
Little Mercies (25 page)
Acknowledgments
My gratitude goes to so many in bringing
Little Mercies
to life.
My parents, Milton and Patricia Schmida, and to my brothers and sisters, Greg, Jane, Milt, Molly and Patrick, for their unwavering support; Dr. Ghada Abusin, Dr. Tami Gudenkauf and Jeff Doerr for their medical expertise; Chief Mark Dalsing and Natalia Blaskovich for law enforcement and legal information; Teena Williams for her honest and touching insights into the social work profession; Marianne Merola, my agent, for always being there and her encouragement; Henry Thayer for his behind-the-scenes work, Erika Imranyi, my editor, for her attention to detail and wise suggestions; and to Miranda Indrigo and the entire MIRA team for their hard work and support.
As always, my love and thanks to Scott, Alex, Anna and Grace—I couldn’t do it without you.
Little mercies, one and all.
LITTLE
MERCIES
Heather Gudenkauf
Reader’s Guide
Questions for Discussion
- Like many parents,
Ellen struggles to balance her personal and professional lives. Discuss
how you face maintaining that precarious balance between home and
work. - Ellen’s former
client Jade steps in to save Avery’s life and Ellen finds herself being
seen as an unfit mother. Talk about this reversal of roles. How do you
think this changed Ellen’s view of the parents she works with and how
they think of Ellen? Does this change your opinion of parents who might
have experience in the child welfare system? - Discuss the ways
parenthood and adult-child relationships are portrayed in the novel.
Think about Jenny’s relationships with her father, mother, Maudene, her
father’s friend-girls and Ellen’s relationship with her own children and
the children she works with as a social worker. - Ellen’s
distractions have catastrophic effects on her daughter’s health, her
family, and her professional life as a social worker. Talk about a time
when you may have had a close call in your life. How did you feel? How
did the experience change you? - Ellen is charged
with a felony and potentially faces a prison sentence. Do you think she
should have to serve time behind bars? Why or why not? - What scenes or
developments in the novel affected you most? - Adam quickly
forgives Ellen for leaving Avery in the hot car. How would you react in
a similar situation? Does Ellen deserve forgiveness? Do you think she
will be able to forgive herself? - Maudene places
herself in a precarious situation by taking a wayward Jenny into her
home. Discuss the possible implications of this decision. What would you
have done if faced with a similar situation? - How do Ellen and
Jenny change over the course of the novel? Which character changes the
most, which the least? - How did your
opinion of Jenny’s mother change over the course of the
novel? - In Jenny’s young
life she has already faced so many obstacles: poverty, abuse, struggles
with school, a runaway mother and an unpredictable father. What do you
think will become of Jenny? - What does the title
Little Mercies
mean to you?
A Conversation with Heather
Gudenkauf
Little Mercies
is an emotionally charged, ripped-from-the-headlines drama
about a woman who makes an honest mistake that has life-altering
consequences. What was your inspiration for this story and the
characters?
When I was a young mother I was always hypervigilant in
trying to protect my children. We baby-proofed our home in every way possible. I
would cut grapes and apples into tiny choke-proof pieces. Each night I peeked in
their cribs to make sure they were still breathing and I always kept a watchful
eye on them while they played. Over the years, like most mothers, I relaxed a
bit, realizing that no matter the safeguards put into place, I couldn’t always
prevent the scrapes, bruises and heartbreaks that accompany childhood.
But then I heard a news story about a well-meaning and, by
all accounts, a loving and responsible mother who accidently left her infant in
a hot car and, tragically, the child died. This and similar stories sent me
reeling. These harrowing accounts of mothers and fathers who love their children
and are constantly trying to balance work and home in order to care for their
families and manage all that life tosses at them forced me to ask myself, Could
this happen to me? To someone I love? From these inner conversations,
Little
Mercies
emerged.
In addition to your career as a
writer, you spent many years working in the education system. Why did you
choose to focus this novel on a social worker, and how did your experience
as an educator inform and influence the story?
Just like so many women, Ellen is a loving mother and
conscientious in her professional life as a social worker. We all know someone
like Ellen, in fact, many of us could be Ellen. I wanted to explore how a
regular woman, trying to navigate life in the midst of a harried, unrelenting
schedule, faces an unthinkable tragedy.
As an educator I’ve had the opportunity to get to know social
workers, school counselors, teachers and other educators who work tirelessly to
protect children and help families learn and grow stronger. Oftentimes, we
forget that those who spend their lives serving and helping others can also make
mistakes, at times with shattering results. Also, during my years as a teacher,
I have met or learned about many children who share the same vulnerability,
courage and feistiness as Jenny.
Little Mercies
is told in alternating perspectives between Ellen and
Jenny. Why did you structure the novel this way, versus focusing on a single
perspective, and what do you hope each character will offer?
Little Mercies
is my fourth
novel and like the previous three I chose to tell this story in multiple
perspectives. I think that by offering alternate points of view, I give readers
the chance to experience one very difficult situation through the eyes of a
guilt-ridden mother and an innocent but determined child.
My hope is that readers recognize Ellen’s good intentions and
the sincere love she has for her own family and the families with which she
works, despite her terrible mistake. She reminds us of our own frailties and the
importance of having a supportive network of friends and family. Through Jenny’s
eyes we see a worldview filled with hope despite her challenging home life and
many disappointments. We have so much to learn from the perseverance and
resilience of children.
What is the significance of the title
Little Mercies,
both in the story and in the message you want to send to
readers?
I think there are many times when we find ourselves hoping
for the big miracles in life such as a cure to a horrible illness or picking the
winning lottery numbers, but I truly believe it’s the small kindnesses—the
little mercies—that really get us through the difficult times. In the novel, for
Ellen, the little mercies come from her family and friends who help her navigate
an incredibly difficult time. For Jenny, it’s the compassion of strangers that
she meets along her journey who come to her aid. My hope is that readers find
ways to pass little mercies on to complete strangers as well as to their loved
ones. It can be as simple as a smile and a cheerful hello; it can be a shoulder
to cry on or the gift of time. The possibilities are endless.
What was your toughest challenge, your
greatest pleasure, and your biggest surprise as you were writing
Little Mercies?
I’d have to say that delving into the emotional devastation
that Ellen experienced in the novel was the most challenging part for me. As a
mother, it’s crushing to see your child suffer.
My greatest pleasure while writing
Little Mercies
was the people I met and the wonderful conversations
that ensued. I tend to be a bit shy and reserved, so seeking out experts to help
inform my writing doesn’t always come easily to me but is always rewarding.
During the course of writing
Little Mercies
I met a dedicated social worker who
shared the joys and challenges of serving families. In order to learn more about
the medical profession and legal system I visited with doctors, a paramedic, an
attorney and the chief of police. I even got the chance to tour a police station
and walk through the steps of the booking process.
As it is with all my novels, the biggest surprises come from
the characters and the directions they end up taking me, and Jenny and Ellen
from
Little Mercies
did not disappoint.
Can you describe your writing process?
Do you outline first or dive right in? Do you write scenes consecutively or
jump around? Do you have a schedule or a routine? A lucky charm?
I always begin a writing project by treating myself to a
beautiful journal and spend the first month or so composing life histories for
each of the characters. I describe their physical characteristics, their fears
and hopes. I dream up their fictional pasts and futures even if the details
don’t find their way onto the pages of the book. Then I begin writing the novel
in longhand. This way I’m able to write nearly anywhere and minimize
distractions. Later I transfer what I’ve written to a computer and continue to
add to the story. Sometimes the story unfolds chronologically and at times I
leap to an event near the end of the book only to return to an earlier scene.
The characters tend to guide the direction I go. When I’ve finished writing the
first draft I will print off a copy and begin making revisions. I also give out
a copy of the manuscript to some family members and a few friends for their
input.
As for a writing routine or schedule, I write whenever and
wherever I can. As I am the mother of three teenagers, my uninterrupted writing
time is rare, but for me, my family always comes first. I steal those quiet
writing moments whenever I can. I don’t have a lucky charm per se, but if
someone were to peek in on me as I was writing, I’d likely have a
Diet Coke
and some chocolate nearby.
“Deeply moving and exquisitely lyrical, this is a
powerhouse of a novel.”
—Tess Gerritsen,
New York
Times
bestselling author, on
The Weight of
Silence
If you loved
Little Mercies
by
New York Times
bestselling author Heather
Gudenkauf, be sure to also catch these other compelling and emotionally charged
titles by this gifted author
HERE
or on
Amazon.com
:
The Weight of Silence
These
Things Hidden
One Breath Away
Available now in ebook format.
And be sure to also pick up Heather’s digital prequel to
Little Mercies,
Little Lies
,
available now on
Amazon.com
!
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“A twisty, roller coaster ride of a debut. Fans of
Gone Girl
will embrace this equally evocative
tale of a missing woman, shattered family and the lies we tell not just to each
other, but especially to ourselves.”
—Lisa Gardner, #1
New York Times
bestselling author of
Fear Nothing
If you’re looking for an addictively suspenseful and tautly
written thriller, be sure to catch
The Good
Girl
(August 2014), a compulsive debut by Mary Kubica, where you’ll
find that even in the perfect family, nothing is as it seems…
Available in ebook. Order your copy today!
Connect with us on
Harlequin.com
for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers,
free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com