Maggie Blackbird

Today, author Helen Gillespie is guesting. She’s talking about her latest release, The Goodbyes, a women’s fiction title. Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.

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Helen shares about the main character:

I love Dianne’s innocence, sincerity, and intentions for success. She recognizes that nature gave her good abilities and a solid upbringing. I love how Dianne became more than a daughter to Katrina after she shared information about Dianne’s father and brothers. Dianne from then on was a friend, a confidant, a caretaker physically and emotionally. I loved how Katrina offered Dianne this role and how Dianne accepted it. Possibly, the strength Dianne gained from the increased intensity of their mother-daughter relationship, played a role in Dianne shifting away from Michael, as if her aggravation and anger with him wasn’t enough. Care for her mother guaranteed a solid break from contact. Friends who have read the story inevitably ask why a woman like Dianne would even date a man like Michael. If Dianne lived in her normal environment without the stress of losing her mother, perhaps she wouldn’t have. Then, we may have had a totally different story about a stalker in a small town.

Dianne’s abrupt decision to leave Marshfield to an entirely different environment indicates she still needs to gain worldly knowledge and make good judgements for herself. I fear for her naiveté. Yet, I know such an adventure would be good for her to learn how to make good decisions. Sometimes I wish I had written her as a savvier individual. Or perhaps written Mel with more common sense to guide Dianne along.

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Title: The Goodbyes
Series: N/A
Author: Helen Gillespie
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Length: 272 pages
Release Date: August 1, 2025
Publisher: Audecyn Books

Blurb: Struggling with becoming an adult in a small mid-western town, Dianne must confront family secrets, deception, and discovery during her last year of college. As she cares for her ailing mother, her world begins to unravel and she is challenged to navigate through lies, friendships, love…and murder.

Meeting the wrong person makes it possible for her to recognize the right ones and to find the strength she needs to survive. Realizing that she is responsible for her own destiny, she learns that to say hello to a new life, she must first say goodbye.

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Although hesitant, Dianne prepared for her date with more apprehension than she had earlier when she prepared for her first day in the classroom. Weirdly, she hoped she would be stood up.

“Sorry I’m late. The ladies at work needed me to stop by and help them,” Michael told Dianne when she answered the door.

“Hi, Michael. Please, come in. Do people ever call you Mike?”

“Naw, ever since the second grade there was this other Michael, and everyone called him Mike and me Michael. It kinda stuck.”

“Makes sense. I’m almost about ready. I’m going to finish putting these towels away, and I’ll be ready to go.”

“Your momma okay?”

“Yes, she’s in the room sleeping. Thank you for asking.”

Dianne was surprised to hear Michael ask about her mother and not instantly jump into something about himself.

“See, I’m not as bad as you thought this morning.” Michael stared at Dianne as though he expected appreciation for his politeness.

“I hope not,” Dianne said, smiling while placing the last of the towels in a nearby closet.

“Dianne, you leaving?”

“Yes, Mom. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No, I was getting up and heard Michael come in. Ken should be over in about an hour, and he’s bringing me something to eat.”

Dianne disappeared briefly from Michael’s sight into her mother’s room to kiss her goodbye.

“You going to be okay, Mom?”

“Yeah, my boyfriend’s coming over and bringing dessert,” Katrina said, smiling and forcing her eyes open.

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Throughout grammar school and college, Helen Gillespie loved developing story sketches or full stories but kept them hidden within herself. That creative spark proved valuable in unexpected places, first on assignment as a musician in the US Army, and after leaving the Army, when she earned a degree in elementary education. After reentering the Army in 1981, she put pen to paper, or rather, “fingers to an Olivetti.” She officially learned the art of journalism to serve the Army, but it quickly became a personal passion. Interviewing fellow soldiers, exploring their jobs and personalities, and publishing useful information for the military community formed the basis of her skill and enjoyment. Those years of thought, training, education, and experience laid the foundation for crafting her first novel, The Goodbyes.

Follow Helen: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Linked In

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