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Jennifer Gracen | Top 6 Things I Love About The Harrisons

February 27, 2018

When IT MIGHT BE YOU comes out, it will be the final book of The Harrisons series. Such a bittersweet thing for me, to say goodbye to this family I’ve come to know and love so well. There are now 6 books in all—5 full length novels and 1 novella. So, for 6 books, I’ll present to you my…

Top 6 Things I Love About The Harrisons

  1. Putting the Fun in Dysfunctional

The Harrisons siblings—Charles, Dane, Tess, Pierce, and Nick—all have emotional issues. Hell, some of their issues have issues. This is hugely thanks to their parents: the selfish mother who abandoned them and the cold, controlling father who raised them. The sibs are deeply flawed and they recognize that. But they fight against those flaws all the time so they can be their best selves. You can’t help but root for them.

  1. Power Struggles

The Harrisons are a mega-wealthy family. The siblings are the 4th generation of a long and esteemed legacy. The older four were raised in a tremendous mansion, went to the most prestigious schools, travelled and experienced life in the ways only billionaires can… but not one of them sought out a similar high-status life partner. They were all drawn to people who just happened to be middle class. That led to power struggles within their relationships… but the Harrisons don’t care about their standing, just true love. They view their massive wealth as just as much a curse as it is a blessing. I think that makes them much more interesting, and their fight for love and acceptance more compelling.

  1. The Smartass Gene

All of the Harrisons are pretty handy with a comeback. Pierce, Dane, and Nick are bolder, snarky, and funny, where Charles and Tess have a more subtle, dry wit that’s just as cutting. Writing any scenes between the siblings, whether it was banter around a meal or the more emotional interventions, was always the most fun for me to spin.

  1. Sexy Times

The Harrisons are a passionate, lusty bunch. And they found their ideal matches. So that led to some pretty steamy romps along with true romance… and who doesn’t love a steamy romp and true romance?

  1. Location, Location, Location!

I set this family on the North Shore of Long Island. A lot of people may relate to it as “Gatsby country” (yes, that’s where the Great Gatsby lived). I grew up on Long Island and live here now (on the South Shore), so I really dove into that whole “write what you know” adage. Long Island has some truly lovely areas, especially the area I based the Harrisons’ estates on; it’s only a short distance from New York City (under an hour east of it); some of those towns are home to more wealth than you could ever dream of… a perfect setting for a series. And I wondered: why aren’t more stories set here? So I went about fixing that. Bonus: when I get notes from Long Island readers who say they recognized places I wrote about and it made them happy, it always makes me smile.

  1. Huge Hearts

All of the Harrison siblings have a lot in common: strength, stubbornness, humor, intelligence, drive. But more than anything, they have huge hearts. They’re compassionate, caring, and fiercely loyal. Honor and integrity matter to all five of them more than almost anything else in the world. They fight for the ones they love, and there’s nothing they won’t do for the people they care about. Hard not to like characters like that.

So, like I said, saying goodbye to this clan is bittersweet for me, but I think they’ve had a good run. Hopefully they’ll leave their mark on readers like they have with me. We’ll always have Sandy Point!

P.S. The photos attached are what served as my initial inspiration for the original Harrison estate, where the siblings were raised. It’s a real (and mindblowingly magnificent) estate here on Long Island. Goes for a cool $100 million if you want.

 

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