Guest Post: Writing What Scares Me by Barbara Winkes |

Happy Monday!

Barbara Winkes is here to chat about her latest release, The Amnesia Project.

She’s giving away 2 e-copies of The Amnesia Project. More details are below.

Please welcome Barbara Winkes.

Writing What Scares Me

I usually like to place my characters in a contemporary context. When you think about it—and I do that a lot—it wasn’t all that long ago that women couldn’t vote or open a bank account for themselves. You go back a couple of decades, and no country had marriage equality. Humanity has come a long way, and I prefer that my leading ladies don’t go back to “simpler” times…except that in reality, there are still people who’d like to halt and reverse process, and will do so once in power. It took me a while to understand that no matter how much we learn and achieve and educate, these people will always exist. They might be few. Not all might be driven by ideology. They are often clever manipulators that are experts at hijacking the narrative, but no matter what their goal is, damage will be done.

It’s scary to think about, that what we take for granted could be reversed—not overnight maybe, but bit by bit, bill by bill, year by year.

What if someone stepped in to turn things around?

I wrote a book in which it took superhuman intervention (RISE) to end patriarchy, and one where the lead characters used the obvious methods to fight back, money and politics (The Exodus Strategy). The Amnesia Project, even if it has some dystopian elements, is probably the most realistic. It’s unlikely that vampires will come to our rescue anytime soon, or that we can start over in a new society (I did enjoy laying out the vision, though). It takes individuals to come together, to be determined, to tell truth to power, and hold the ones wielding it accountable.

In the beginning, Dani isn’t interested in changing the world. All she wants is to know what happened to Paige, who went missing on a trip to New York thirteen years prior. It’s complicated: Paige is the sister of Dani’s best friend, Alice. Paige, a minor at the time of her disappearance, was in love with Dani who rejected her because of the age difference. She has felt guilty ever since, and has dedicated her life to solving the mystery, and finding closure. Her search for answers will last more than a decade, and the consequences a lot more far-reaching than she ever imagined.

I like stories about women fighting the odds, in the contemporary, but sometimes I have to deal with the things that scare me—because people are actually intending those things, and others indulge them or can’t/don’t want to acknowledge the danger they present. The Amnesia Project is a mix of all of that. And I hope it’s good, thought-provoking entertainment for my readers.

We have come a long way. Let’s never go back.

THE AMNESIA PROJECT
by Barbara Winkes

Available in Kindle Unlimited

Release date: April 2018
Romantic Suspense / Dystopian

Romantic suspense with a dystopian twist…

What happened behind these doors?

In the summer of 2013, three young women and a teenage girl take a trip to New York City…Only three of them return.

Paige’s disappearance marks deep incisions in the women’s lives, impacting friendships, relationships and careers. Joy retreats. Paige’s older sister Alice seeks solace in alcohol. Dani vows to leave no stone unturned, feeling guilty and conflicted after seventeen-year-old Paige revealed her crush to her shortly before she vanished. More than a decade later, Dani uncovers the shocking truth.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Barbara Winkes writes suspense and romance with lesbian characters at the center. She has always loved stories in which women persevere and lift each other up. Expect high drama and happy endings.