An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
After some consideration, I've finally decided to plug the book series me and my roleplaying partner are working on. Available on A03, this story follows the Wilkins family through 60 years and a wide variety of experiences, and is currently intended to span five books by the time it's completed. As of 7th June 2023, two books have been released in full, and the third one is expected to be completed by mid-June. The link above leads to the first installment in the series, and below is a summary of the first book specifically and the series as a whole more generally.
On New Year's Eve 1964, at a party in an unremarkable small town in Nebraska, two young people meet for the first time. Sarah Young is a feisty redheaded 18-year-old not long out of high school, loving life and looking for fun. Jack Wilkins is a quiet, and reserved, dark-haired 20-year-old cowboy with a dark and increasingly mysterious past. At this New Year's party, their paths finally cross. And just a few weeks into the new year, the two just happen to run into each other again.
By summer 1965, their lives have become inextricably linked. Suddenly faced with an unplanned baby on the way, they get married and settle down together. And for a while, things are looking good for the couple.
But even as their marriage slowly starts deteriorating over the years that follow - even as Jack's painful secrets and increasing alcohol use all but tear their family apart - they never leave each other's lives again.
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This is the first book in a multi-part series following Jack and Sarah, and their growing family, through life's ups and downs over a period of 60 years.
For the optimal reading experience, it is recommended to read these books in the intended order.
It is worth noting upfront that this story is intended for an adult audience and explores a number of heavy mental health topics - such as addiction and trauma and suicidality - in what is intended to be a realistic way, and each installment is appropriately tagged with applicable tags to let readers decide for themselves if these are topics they want to read about. I'm happy to privately answer any questions anyone may have about how those topics are handled, and how deeply/graphically/extensively they're explored, in as much detail as required.
