Can a bad girl be redeemed?

Great question. There are many people who made stupid mistakes in the name of love, money, power and so much more. Remember all those mean girls in school? Did they go on to become better, functioning members of society or are they still mean? Did the karma train roll into their station and show them the errors of their ways? We’d sure hope so, right?

What about that lost young woman, whose parents died while she was young, who only had the direction of her older siblings, who were also trying to navigate, life without parents, raising a younger sibling, and navigating bills, life, food on the table, etc. Can that woman be redeemed?

Again, I think so. LuAnn is that last woman. At a young age her parents died. All she had was an older brother, who left to join the Marines and an older sister, who was dealing with life at the same time. Then, LuAnn’s brother was killed and her grief was magnified. But, there was a person who looked in on her and made sure she had a job and a place to live. Jeremiah Sheppard, and she hung on to him. Too tightly, actually. But for a young woman who’d suffered loss of those people around her she loved, isn’t that a natural thing to do? Hang on. Tight.

LuAnn’s way of hanging on though, was the wrong way to do it. Many in the Sheppard family only saw that bad that she did and therefore, getting out of jail and coming home was not easy for LuAnn. If not for a motherly figure in prison, LuAnn’s story could have ended differently. Could have.

When I started writing my Rolling Thunder series, I knew LuAnn’s story would be the last story. I knew I’d redeem her. But, it had to be in a way that the Sheppard family could accept. I think I did it. What do you think?

Moving On – US

Moving On – UK