I began Speak Again Bright Angel in 1992. It started as a short story titled “Keeping the Darkness Out with the Stars”. Although some of the same characters and ideas persist to this day, a lot has been changed.

After I wrote the story, I decided to make it a novel. I remember finishing the first draft, and reading through it. While I was proud of the accomplishment, I knew the story wasn’t right.

I worked on it on and off for the rest of the decade. Each version was an improvement, but I would end with the same combination of pride in the effort but frustration with the book.

It was when I went to Trinity College in Hartford, CT that the real story finally took shape. Professor Fred Phiel was my advisor, and he spent many hours with me working on the book.

There are two memories from this time that have stayed with me. The first was how many characters were shed from the book before he saw the new draft. Having someone with credentials reading it cast my story in a new light. I would think about the characters from his perspective, and I just knew certain ones could not live into the new version.

The second memory came after an editing session. We were walking to our cars when he turned and said, “Hey, what’s it called?” I replied, “Keeping the Darkness Out with the Stars.” He shouted “Too long!”

So there I was, already eliminating characters, and now I didn’t even have a title. Then fate stepped in. I was in my high school classroom. There was a traveling teacher reading from Romeo and Juliet. As I was doing work at my desk, the class was reading from the famous balcony scene. That’s when I heard the line from Romeo that he speaks before Juliet knew he was there. “Speak Again Bright Angel” he says, hoping to hear her voice again. I immediately knew that was the title.

Though the results were much the same with these drafts, the story as it stands now began to take shape. It took more decades to get it ready, but now it’s real, and it’s nearly time for you to have a chance to read it.