Behind the scenes of The Broken Man with Josephine Cox
The first thing I do when I’m about to start a novel is to profile the main characters, and from that moment it is they who write the story. As the story unfolds, I become less the writer and more a part of the story, where the characters become my friends, enemies and family. Often a particular character may catch me unawares when he or she commits an act of cruelty which I had not anticipated. Throughout the story, I remain ever true to my deeper instincts, while ever conscious that the characters are now very much alive and have rightly taken on a persona of their own.
The plot is begun, and the story is now evolving, and from that moment, as in real life, both author and reader are swept along; willingly or otherwise.
When we are born none of us have a say over who or what we are born into, and like the characters I create we have no idea of how life may shape us because, as with characters, we too are swept along, being a part of the greater story, with no prior knowledge of how our journey might shape us.
EDWARD CARTER is more monster than man. He breeds a dark and dangerous atmosphere throughout this story. He leaves behind him a wake of hatred, fear and ruin, and because of his actions the course of many lives will be changed; some for the better. Some for the worse.
You may dislike him; you may pity him. But however he affects you, it is a fact that but for his existence, THE BROKEN MAN may have become a different story altogether.
ENJOY!
Jo x
A short story by Josephine Cox
Soon after his father’s untimely death, Alfie was badly injured in a car crash.
When doctors amputated his right leg, Alfie lost the will to live. His mother pleaded, “Through all his trials, your Dad never gave up. Fight on, Alfie”
Using the artificial leg proved difficult. Alfie believed his life was over, “What woman would want me now?”
Through the window, the warm breeze touched his face. “You can do it,” his father whispered, “You’ll be fine my son.”
With Nurse Mary’s dedication, Alfie struggled on.
Later, standing at the altar, with Mary, he whispered, “Thanks, Dad. Love you.”
First published in Readers Digest, 2013
Also by Josephine Cox
QUEENIE’S STORY
Her Father’s Sins
Let Loose the Tigers
THE EMMA GRADY TRILOGY
Outcast
Alley Urchin
Vagabonds
Angels Cry Sometimes
Take This Woman
Don’t Cry Alone
Jessica’s Girl
Nobody’s Darling
Born to Serve
More than Riches
A Little Badness
Living a Lie
The Devil You Know
A Time for Us
Cradle of Thorns
Miss You Forever
Love Me or Leave Me
Tomorrow the World
The Gilded Cage
Somewhere, Someday
Rainbow Days
Looking Back
Let It Shine
The Woman Who Left
Jinnie
Bad Boy Jack
The Beachcomber
Lovers and Liars
Live the Dream
The Journey
The Loner
Songbird
Born Bad
Divorced and Deadly
Blood Brothers
Midnight
Three Letters
Copyright
HarperCollinsPublishers
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Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
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Published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2013
Copyright © Josephine Cox 2013
Josephine Cox asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Source ISBN: 9780007419890
Ebook Edition © January 2013 ISBN: 9780007419906
Version 1
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins
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