Hmm

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So I'm reading Hard to Hold by Stephanie Tyler, about a Navy SEAL who rescues a doctor from Doctors Without Borders who is being held hostage in Africa. While she is recovering, he visits her in the hospital though she doesn't know he's there. They reunite later, and I think they're heading back to Africa. Oh, and she's a senator's daughter.

Don't Look Back, the book I contracted in July, is about an Army Ranger who rescues a doctor from the World Health Organization who is being held hostage in Africa. While she is recovering, he visits her in the hospital though she doesn't know he's there. They return to Africa to rescue the president's niece.

Gulp. I'm not sure whether to contact Stephanie, because I swear I didn't copy her. I didn't even know the subject of her book until I bought it.

I'm also reading Elisabeth Naughton's Stolen Heat about archaeologists who learn they've been betrayed by someone they trust in exactly the same way the archaeologists in Beneath the Surface learn they've been betrayed by someone they trust. Is it something in the air? What would you do if you found such similarities between your book and another?

4 comments:

Mary Curry said...

I wouldn't sweat it. I remember talking to Mary Jo Putney about that many years ago. I was worried because I had just come across a similar situation with the book I was writing. She told me not to worry that it happened all the time and how you write it in your voice is what will make it unique. She said she, Jo Beverly and someone else (I think Loretta Chase) had all written extremely similar books, with heroes who had nearly identical issues, at the same time and none was aware the other was doing it.
Synchronicity.

MicheleKS said...

There was a book a few years back that had the same plotline as my current WIP, but when I read the book (which was a real struggle as it wasn't that great), I realized that although the elements were the same my take on it would be my own.

And I think that's the most important thing here, to make the storyline your own even if there are other books with the same type of elements.

Stephanie Tyler said...

OMG - don't you even WORRY about that! First of all, now I'm DYING to read your book, because I obviously love the whole kidnap/rescue thing, plus you set it in my favorite place in the whole world, Africa :)

if it makes you feel better, Jake and Isabelle don't go back to Africa after their initial encounter. See? Different!

And I want you to come pimp out your release at WM when it comes out :) So email me and let me know when your release is so I can schedule you :)

MJFredrick said...

Thanks, Mary and Michele. The more I get into it, the more different it is, but it was weird to be reading 2 books similar to two of my books. Of course, I'm drawn to them because I like those kind of books, clearly :)

STEPHANIE! OMG! I bow before you :) Thanks so much for coming by to put my mind at ease! I seriously debated emailing you because I didn't want word to get back and you think I was copying you. I'm loving Hard to Hold, but am seeing now it's very different. Thank you so much for the offer! I'll take you up on it when I learn when my book's out!

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Breaking DaylightBreaking Daylight
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Hot ShotHot Shot (Samhain)
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Where There's SmokeWhere There's Smoke
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MJFredrick
I'm a mom, a wife, a teacher and a writer. I have five cats and a dog to keep me company. I love bookstores and libraries and Netflix - movies are my greatest weakness.
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