Author's Message

When I first started writing Bound by Guilt I was intrigued by the concept of a person making a living stealing rare books from unsuspecting bookstores and selling them for a profit. I’ve been involved in the antiquarian book trade for over twelve years, so I was able to imagine the logistics of how this would work. Then I read an article about a young man who’d been arrested in California for doing this very thing. It was such an interesting crime, I knew I had to put it in a book! My fictional Dawson’s Book Barn, which was introduced in my first novel Thicker than Blood, was the perfect setting. It’s based on the real-life bookstore Baldwin’s Book Barn in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I have many fond memories of losing myself among the shelves at Baldwin’s, and I’ve literally gotten lost trying to find my way down to the entrance room from the fifth floor.
 
In Bound by Guilt one rare book in particular takes center stage. First editions of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald with their dust jackets, can fetch from thirty to even a hundred thousand dollars in good condition. I didn’t make that up. In fact, all of the rare book collecting facts and tidbits in Bound by Guilt are based on things I’ve heard or they’re from my own personal experiences traveling the country in an RV to book sales.
 
Another idea which propelled this novel was a scenario that came to me one night while out walking in my backyard. I remember stuffing my hands into the pockets of my jean jacket and taking in a deep breath of the cool air. My shoes crunched in the dirt, and the thought hit me—what if I suddenly found myself with nothing but the clothes on my back? Where would I go? What would I do? It was a concept that stayed with me for years and one my main character, Roxi Gold, experiences first hand. Roxi is a girl who yearns for a family and will do anything to fit in. She touched my heart while I wrote her story, and I hope she’ll touch yours too. Roxi’s feelings are universal. We all long to be loved. We’ve all felt guilt. 
 
I began writing Bound by Guilt with these thoughts in my mind, but I didn’t know how they would come together into a cohesive story yet. After several months of writing and rewriting the first chapters I decided to write the rest of the book really fast. I gave myself six weeks. That meant I needed to type 1500 words a day, five days a week. But here’s the kicker—I would not be allowed to re-read anything I’d written the day before. Impossible you say? I thought so too until I gave it a try. It ended up really working for me.
 
I’m so excited to be able to finally share this story. It was an adventure to write, and I hope it’s an adventure for you to read!

- CJ Darlington