'In JC Burke’s skilled hands the girls characters are rounded.' - Australian Bookseller & Publisher, October 2008
Ocean Pearl
About
GEORGIE
The only thing I knew about lies was that I was drowning in them. But we don’t always do what's best for us. I had willingly taken a deep breath and dived into the traitor’s sea of deception.
MICKI
Finding out that someone has been through your diary was like being turned inside out. Every layer and every space in between, they knew. Your fears and fantasies, your darkest secrets – and the worst bit was that they could spread this information to other people.
KIA
The counselor told me to try and identify 'the triggers'. The things that set me off, that made me feel like my life was spiraling out of control. We were the triggers – the failing, fighting, lying, two-faced Starfish sisters.
ACE
Why had Georgie done that to me? She was my best friend. The only one who knew everything about me because I had wanted to tell her. I had wanted Georgie to know the real me. Not the Ocean Pearl girl.
Reviews
"Loved it from start to end..." - Good Reads
"This is a really interesting book..... I thought it was very worthwhile reading." - Illawarra Mercury, May 5 2015
"This is a gripping and realistic tale of four best friends... a book with many layers: secrets, lies and deception, but also hope, love and triumph." - Cairns Post, July 21 2009
"The story is held together by the authenticity of the characters, their flaws and their fragile hopes." - Sunday Age, 30 November 2008
The Process
Below are a couple of pages from my Ocean Pearl planning book. As it was a sequel, I had already done most of the character planning in Starfish Sisters. So the process for Ocean Pearl mostly concentrated on the storyline and how each character will succeed or fail with the changes around them.
A planning page from one of Micki's chapters.
Planning page from an Ace chapter.